The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) expresses its deep shock and concern at the tragic mudslide incident at the Ekapa Diamond Mine Joint Shaft in Kimberley, Northern Cape, where five mineworkers remain trapped nearly 890 metres underground following a mud rush.
Rescue operations are underway, but communication with the trapped workers has reportedly been cut off, intensifying the anguish of their families and fellow workers.
SAFTU stands in full solidarity with the affected workers, their families, and their colleagues. We join the broader labour movement in demanding that every possible resource be mobilised to ensure their safe rescue.
SAFTU notes the statement issued by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), which has demanded urgent access to the mine and transparency regarding the circumstances that led to this disaster.
NUMSA’s Kimberley local leadership has correctly insisted that mine management must account fully for what happened and ensure workers’ safety is not compromised.
NUMSA has made clear that it is awaiting confirmation from management on the precise conditions underground and has emphasised the seriousness of the incident and the urgent need for accountability.
This incident raises grave and urgent questions:
- Were proper safety inspections conducted prior to the mudslide?
- Were workers adequately protected against mud rush risks and underground instability?
- Were warning signs ignored in the pursuit of production targets and profits?
- Did Ekapa Mine comply fully with the Mine Health and Safety Act?
The mining industry in South Africa continues to generate enormous wealth for corporations while exposing mineworkers to life-threatening dangers. This tragedy is not an isolated incident but part of a systemic pattern in which workers are treated as expendable in the relentless drive for profit.
SAFTU demands the following urgent actions:
- The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources must immediately launch a full, independent investigation.
- Ekapa Mine management must provide full transparency and continuous updates to workers’ families and unions.
- Labour representatives, including NUMSA and other relevant unions, must be granted unrestricted access to monitor rescue efforts and workplace conditions.
- All safety operations at the mine must be reviewed before any resumption of normal production.
This disaster underscores the continued reality that mineworkers bear the heaviest burden of risk in an industry built on their labour and sacrifice.
SAFTU reiterates: no worker should ever have to risk their life simply to earn a living.
We will continue to monitor developments closely and stand in solidarity with the affected workers, their families, and their unions.
A statement was issued on behalf of SAFTU by the General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi.
For media inquiries contact, the National Spokesperson at Newton Masuku
newtonm@saftu.org.za
0661682157
Media Officer
Asive Dyani
0719019564
