Minister: Northam findings send message on mine safety. M & G of 27 July 2006. 'South African Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica said on Wednesday that the findings made by a Thabazimbi magistrate regarding the mine accident that occurred at the Northam Platinum mine on September 20 2004 sent a clear message that unsafe or unhealthy mine practices will not be tolerated. Last Friday, Magistrate DC Torlage issued the findings with regard to the mine accident that occurred in 2004 at the Northam Platinum mine, where nine people died, the Department of Minerals and Energy said in a statement. The National Union of Mineworkers said on Friday in a statement that the chief magistrate of Thabazimbi had found platinum miner Northam Platinum guilty of negligence regarding the accident. Northam, on the other hand, said that the findings found that "negligence could not be excluded on the part of the mine". Sonjica said she hoped that the mining industry would immediately introduce the necessary pro-active measures in order to prevent a similar belt-conveyor accident elsewhere. "Minister Sonjica wishes to express her sincere condolences to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives as a result of this accident. "In addition, the minister wishes to thank Mr DC Torlage, the prosecutor, the legal representatives who acted on behalf of the unions, associations and management as well as the witnesses who participated for the cordial manner in which the inquest was conducted," the Department of Minerals and Energy said. These findings were a culmination of a joint inquiry held in terms of the Inquest Act and the Mine Health and Safety Act to determine the cause of death of nine miners who died in an underground fire, the department added. "The findings reiterated that a formal risk assessment was not conducted to determine the consequence of a frictional fire or the effectiveness of the escape strategy. "It was stressed that the commissioning, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of belt conveyors should be such that mine employees can perform their work without endangering their health and safety or that of any other persons," the department concluded'. 

Negligence on part of Northam not excluded in fire incident, court finds. Mining News of 24 July 2006. ' A Thabazimbi court did not exclude negligence as a possible cause of an incident, which claimed the lives of nine workers at a Northam Platinum mine. The magistrate handed down his findings on Friday after concluding the inquest into the death of nine mineworkers during an incident on September 20, 2004, when an underground conveyor-belt fire occurred at a Limpopo mine. “Northam does not accept the finding, which is incorrect in various respects. Although there is no indication that prosecution will necessarily follow, in the event that it does, Northam will strongly oppose it,” the company said in a statement on Friday, withholding further comment. Earlier, Mining Weekly reported that Northam Platinum did not rule out foul play as a cause of the fire. It said that the fire was not owing to a mechanical failure of the device. The company previously said that individual employees of Northam Platinum could possibly face criminal charges, including manslaughter, should the company be found guilty of negligence. Meanwhile, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) also issued a statement saying that companies could not overlook important requirement that would safeguard the lives of people. This NUM statement said that the court findings stated that the accident could have been avoided if the mine had applied its mind to safety standards and if the company's training had been practical and not theoretical. In addition, it said that there was only one entry/exit point and no alternative escape routes and that the refuse bay was too far from the working area'.

Northam Platinum mine found guilty of negligence. SABC of 21 July 2006. 'The Northam Platinum mine in Limpopo has been found negligent and in breach of the mines safety act, following an inquest into a fatal 2004 mine accident. Nine miners were killed while fighting an underground fire. The local court has found the company was negligent by not following the safety standards in terms of installing the fire extinguishers. The judgment finds that following the use of an underground conveyor belt, the miners inhaled toxic gases and this resulted in their deaths. Eric Gcilitshana, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesperson for health and safety, says they have been pronouncing this time again that the companies are always putting profit against the lives of the people. Gcilitshana says the issue of the alternative exit route in the working place where the miners died were non-existent and they had to go back to the end of the tunnel that is were they died. He says Num feel very strong that the company is negligent'. 

Northam 'knew about problem'.  At least three days before a conveyor belt caught alight, causing the deaths of nine workers, the mine was notified that there were problems with the belt, a report released by the government on Thursday reveals. The accident took place on a decline from levels 13 to 14 of the number one shaft of the Northam Platinum mine, near Thabazimbi in the Limpopo province, and occurred at 24:30 on September 20, 2004. The victims died from asphyxiation from poisonous gases. The report also found that the layout of the decline was such that in the event of a fire in the decline, anyone below the fire would be trapped and have no escape route. It was found that procedures were in place at the mine about what should be done in the event of a fire, but it was "disturbing" to find out that sections of the standard procedures were not implemented, the report said. "The list showing the allocation of the self-contained-self rescuers could not be produced, leading to the deduction that some employees did not have their self-contained-self rescuers with them," the report added. During the inquiry following the accident, the construction team leader at Section 14 stated that on Friday 17, September 2004 at 20:23, he realised that the conveyor belt was becoming slack. "He switched off the belt and went up the decline to investigate the cause thereof. As he approached the top of the CV4 conveyor belt, he detected that something seemed to be burning. When he got to the return pulley he alleges that both the left and right hand bearings were broken. He noticed that the left hand hearing was without grease," the report said. "When he went underground the next shift, he saw that the left hand bearing had been replaced, but with a rusty bearing as compared to the right hand bearing. He claims that on September 18, 2004, which was a Saturday, there was no broken rock to transport, thus the belt was never operated on the day," the report added. The investigation found that there had been many warning signs that the pulley shaft bearing was not working properly. The nine people that died were: Daniel Chume, Mavungwana Dlepu, Manuel Fernando, Mahooana Mahooana, Zaphalala Mbaphantsi, Tankiso Mosese, Carlos Munguambe, Lebogang Sell and Mtete Tela. Following the accident, the Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, closed the mine in terms of Section 54 of the Mine Health and Safety Act. The mine was reopened on about October 13, 2004.

'Northam fire investigation findings incorrect'. South African platinum producer Northam Platinum on Friday issued a statement saying a Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) report, regarding an underground fire at its mine last year, contains several incorrect statements and findings. The company pointed out that the report- which was released to a media group last Thursday - summing up the findings of the DME's investigation into a fire at the mine near Thabazimbi, Limpopo Province, is merely a preliminary document. Nine mineworkers died as a result of asphyxiation from poisonous gases when a conveyor belt caught alight on September 20. The report, which was issued to media group News24, maintains that the mine was notified of a problem with the conveyor belt ahead of the accident. “The report also found that the layout of the decline was such that, in the event of a fire in the decline, anyone below the fire would be trapped and have no escape route,” News24 reported, adding that the DME document also pointed out that standard procedures were not implemented at the time of the incident. The article also quoted the report as saying that there were many warning signs that the pulley shaft bearing (on the conveyor belt) was not working properly. However, Northam Platinum on Friday responded to the report, saying it contains various incorrect statements and findings, and that these matters would be addressed at a formal inquiry and inquest, which would be held in due course. “The report records provisions of an order which was issued by the principal inspector on September 21, 2004, in terms of which the mine was closed. “The requirements of the order were complied with shortly after the accident, whereafter production resumed in all areas, except the decline section (below 12 level which was affected by the accident),” the company stated, adding that the decline section is currently being rehabilitated. “Northam is committed to continued support for a fully transparent, investigative process,” it added. DME spokesperson Malebo Mahabe on Friday told Mining Weekly Online that the report should not have been released to the media, and that this had been an “error of judgment”. She explained that the report would only be officially released on Wednesday, supported by an expert's report from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. “The contents of the report will not be significantly different (when released later this week),” she commented.