All safe at Impala Platinum Mine’s Shaft 20

Rustenburg – The rock conveyance system at Impala Platinum Mine’s Shaft 20 experienced a rope failure in the early hours of Tuesday 22 October.

Safety mechanisms and procedures were activated immediately which led to the man winder [hoist] being tripped. The nine employees that were in the cage when the incident happened were all safely returned to the surface once the required shaft infrastructure safety protocols and checks were completed.

Employees that remained underground were evacuated by proto team members and medical personnel. Impala Platinum Mine’s Rustenburg operations chief executive officer Mark Munro confirmed that the employees are in good health and spirit and need to be commended for the emergency actions they all undertook.

He went on to thank everyone involved for their dedication and effort, and to all the employees for their patience and trust in the team during this incident.