DA response to the tragedy at Impala Platinum

28 November 2023

The DA learned with horror and sadness of the accident which, at the time of writing, had cost 11 lives and caused 75 injuries at 11 Shaft at Impala’s Rustenburg mines. South Africans have not seen a mine accident of this shocking dimension for many months. Our thoughts go out to the families, friends, and workmates of all those involved.

The 200m fall of a hoist carrying people apparently resulted from a broken cable. This is highly unusual and requires an urgent and thorough investigation. We trust it will receive the attention it requires from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.

The results of the investigation into what caused this tragedy need to be made public so that if there has been negligence, then those responsible are held to account, and steps can be taken so that an incident of this nature never happens again.

Mining can be a high-risk occupation and too often South Africans forget the debt we owe to the hard work and courage of those who work in our mining industry.

Issued by James Lorimer, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources, 28 November 2023