One person dies at Harmony Gold

Investigations are underway into the death of one person at the Harmony Gold Mining Company.

The company said that an employee was fatally injured on Sunday afternoon, following a shaft-related incident, at its Doornkop mine, near Soweto in Gauteng.

“We are deeply concerned about the unfortunate incidents at our mines and will continue to drive our safety humanistic transformation initiative, to reinforce a proactive safety culture throughout our company,” said Harmony Gold CEO Peter Steenkamp.

“The board, executives and management of Harmony Goldextend their prayers to the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased,” added Steenkamp.

Harmony said the relevant authorities and stakeholders have been informed of the incident.

Mining activity in the affected area has been halted while the investigation is underway.

Just last month, two Harmony Gold employees died while working in the company’s Kusasalethu mine located near Carletonville in Gauteng.

The company said those deaths were the result of seismic activity in the area.

The Kusasalethu mine is Harmony Gold’s deepest mine, with mining activity conducted as deep as 3,388 metres. Close to 5,000 people are employed at the mine.  

In August 2017, at least two miners died after a seismic event trapped five of them underground at the same mine. 

The miners were 3,100 metres below the surface when the ground caved in. 

(Additional reporting by Nica Richards)