JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Simmer & Jack Mines (Simmers) has reopened two shafts at its Buffelsfontein mine in South Africa's North West province, where three miners died in early May, and hopes to reopen the remaining four shafts by the end of the week.

The Department of Mineral Resources had suspended work on all shafts at the mine, pending the outcome of a safety audit.

The temporarily stoppage had cost the Buffelsfontein mine some 90 kg, or 2 894 oz, in lost gold production, Simmers said in a statement.

The two shafts that reopened - No 2 and No 10 - account for 30% of the mine's underground production.

Production from surface sources, which accounted for just over 25% of the mine's total gold output, was unaffected by the stoppage and surface throughput had been increased during the period.

On May 4, three workers were killed at the Buffelsfontein mine after being trapped in a fall-of-ground accident.

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