Power was restored to the Beatrix gold mine owned by Sibanye-Stillwater early on Friday morning, prompting the rescue of hundreds of miners trapped underground since Thursday morning. The power came on at 2am on Friday morning and hoisting was started in order to rescue the miners, said company spokesman James Wellsted. So far 948 people had been hoisted safely back to the surface and only seven remained underground and would be immediately returned to surface, he said. “This is significant rescue effort and one that all who participated in can be extremely proud off, and it is a clear demonstration of the competence within the South African mining industry. The actions taken by management and decisions taken resulted in all our employees returning safely to their families,” said Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman after the last of the trapped miners were hoisted to the surface. The storm knocked out the primary and secondary electricity supplies to the mine. The Beatrix mine in the Free Sta...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.