JOHANNESBURG – The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) is mourning the death of a worker during a seismic incident which caused a rock fall at Tau Lekoa mine in North West province.
In a statement late on Sunday, Numsa said it had informed management at the mine that it intended to be involved in the investigation into the mishap.
"These incidents are a deep cause for concern for the safety of employees at the mine," the union said, noting that last December four workers had been killed following another rock fall at the mine, owned by Village Main Reef.
Numsa cited data from the department of mineral resources and energy which showed 51 people lost their lives in the mining sector in the last financial year.
"We must to much more to ensure that no one has to suffer the agony of losing a breadwinner in the industry. We must work towards achieving a mining industry with zero fatalities," the union said.