11 October 2026
SUMMARY: The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) is saddened by the death of a mineworker at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Driefontein Operations, Hlanganani Shaft, in Carletonville, following a reported fall-of-ground incident. The Union calls for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, determine whether all legally required safety measures were implemented and ensure accountability where failures are identified.
AMCU is saddened by the death of a mineworker following a fall-of-ground incident at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Driefontein Operations, Hlanganani Shaft, in Carletonville, Gauteng Province.
According to preliminary information received by the Union, the incident occurred on Friday, 9 October 2026, at approximately 16:52 in the CL50 09 07W panel at Section 50. A magnitude 1.7 seismic event occurred which resulted in a the fall of ground. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain subject to investigation.
The mineworker could not initially be accounted for, prompting the establishment of an emergency control room and the deployment of two Proto rescue teams underground to conduct a search and rescue operation. The night shift was also prevented from going underground while the emergency response was underway.
The Proto rescue team subsequently located and recovered the mineworker from beneath the fall of ground at the working face. However, he had succumbed to his injuries.
The affected workplace was barricaded as instructed, and work in the entire raise line was stopped.
“AMCU regards this incident as another tragic reminder of the persistent and unacceptable dangers faced by mineworkers, particularly the risks associated with seismic events and falls of ground. We believe that every fatality must be thoroughly investigated to establish the circumstances that led to the incident and determine whether all legally required measures to protect mineworkers were properly implemented”, said AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa.
“We demand a comprehensive investigation into this fatal incident and clarity on the conditions at the working face before the seismic event, the adequacy of ground support and seismic monitoring, the effectiveness of risk assessments, and whether appropriate withdrawal procedures were implemented. The investigation must also establish whether all applicable safety procedures and legal requirements were complied with”, he added.
AMCU further calls on the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) to exercise its statutory oversight responsibilities and ensure that the investigation establishes the root causes of the incident, including whether the fatality could have been prevented through appropriate engineering controls, effective monitoring, adequate ground support and compliance with the Mine Health and Safety Act.
The Union further demands that accountability be established wherever negligence, inadequate safety measures or non-compliance with legal requirements are identified.
Mineworkers have the right to work in safe conditions and return home to their families after every shift. Fatalities must never become an accepted part of mining operations. Where failures to protect mineworkers are established, those responsible must be held accountable.
“This tragedy reinforces AMCU’s clarion call for urgent amendments to the Mine Health and Safety Act to strengthen enforcement, accountability and consequences for those who fail to protect mineworkers”, Mathunjwa concluded.
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For more information or media interviews, contact AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa.