Trapped Gold Miners Brought to Surface Amid Safety Fears

Most of the 3,200 workers trapped a mile down a South African gold mine were brought to the surface in a long rescue operation yesterday, as the mine's owner acknowledged that safety might have been compromised in favor of profits.

Some 2,700 miners emerged exhausted by their ordeal in temperatures that ran as high as 40C (104F), after a broken pipe crashed down the main lift shaft, cutting power on Wednesday. The remaining 500 miners were expected to reach the surface by last night, via a second shaft usually used to lift equipment and waste.

"We nearly died down there," one man yelled as he emerged. "I'd rather leave than die in the mine."

Nearly 200 women were among those trapped underground.

Patrice Motsepe, chairman of Harmony Gold, the owner of the Elandsrand mine west of Johannesburg, described the accident as a "wake-up call" on safety in a country where deaths and injuries are several times higher than in countries with comparable mines, such as Australia. "We have to recommit ourselves to refocus on safety in this country. Our safety record both as a company and an industry leave much to be desired," he said.

Mr Motsepe implicitly acknowledged that the competition between investment in mine safety and dividends for shareholders put pressure on maintenance. "We run companies that have an obligation to all constituencies. Shareholders are one of those constituencies, but we [also] have an obligation to our employees," he said.

The National Union of Mineworkers said workers at the mine - the third deepest in South Africa -had warned the management about poor maintenance of the main shaft. "We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks," the NUM president, Senzeni Zokwana, said.

Harmony Gold denied negligence. It said the shaft was inspected once a week according to mine safety regulations. But the minerals and energy minister, Buyelwa Sonjica, ordered the mine to be closed for up to six weeks for investigations and repairs.

The union yesterday threatened a strike unless the government took urgent action to ensure mine owners complied with safety standards.

The inspector of mines, Thabo Gazi, said he would conduct an investigation into the accident, describing it as worrying. "Old infrastructure must be upgraded," he said.