Tunatazama - Community Monitors

A fatal accident in a mine caused a lifetime of pain for affected families and communities.

Christinah Mogobye

 

Christinah Mogobye

North West Province

Bojanala District municipality

Moses Kotane Local Municipality

Ward 7

Sefikile village

17/06/2024

 

A fatal accident in a mine caused a lifetime of pain for affected families and communities.

 

It was at 9:00 am when I got a call from my police officer friend telling me about the fatal accident at Dishaba Mine, Amandelbult Complex, Anglo American Platinum Mine. My colleagues had not heard anything by that time and when I checked on them they were shocked about the news and did not take it well. Some were even sent home, even though they were not directly affected by the incident. When I asked my three affected colleagues how they felt about the situation, they said they faced problems of trauma and anxiety. Some just froze but at least our company arranged counselling for them as the solution to the problems they faced when this incident happened. 

 

The mine was at it again and this time the poor workers, according to the inspection that was made, the mine was at fault again. The poor workers left their families in the early hours of Friday morning on the 07th of  June 2024 and little did they know that they were seeing their families for the last time.

The two male mine workers met their untimely deaths while on duty, and they both died on the scene due to the nature of their injuries. It was reported that there was no way they could have survived as they fell 4.5 Metres down to the crosscut. The police officer who rushed to the incident told me that the accident traumatized all the mine workers who were on duty that day and the mine promised to arrange counseling for them. 

What will it take for the mine to take people’s lives seriously? I wonder why families must suffer and mourn their loved ones in the hands of the mine. The mine is busy bringing heartache to many people and this is disheartening.

 

The youngest victim in this incident has a young child who will grow up without a father. The oldest victim had already applied for Voluntary Severance Pay (Voluntary retrenchment) and was looking forward to spending his hard-earned money that he worked for so many years with his family and that has been short-lived by the mine.

The mine is always careless with people’s lives and doesn’t consider those who will be affected by the incidents, the families, the colleagues, and the community. This incident happened because of negligence, and I wish harsh punishment could be granted to those responsible in this mine.

May their souls rest in peace and may their families find comfort and healing

 

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