Moab Khotsong is one of Harmony’s deep-level gold mining operations and, like many underground mines in South Africa, is exposed to seismic activity that can trigger rockfalls and ground instability.
Harmony Gold has confirmed the death of an employee following a seismicity-related fall-of-ground incident at its Moab Khotsong mine near Orkney in the North West province.
The tragic incident occurred on the morning of Friday, and has once again highlighted the safety risks associated with deep-level mining operations in South Africa.
Last month, two employees died in a tragic shaft engineering‑related incident at Harmony's Mponeng mine near Carletonville. In March, another worker was killed in underground incident involving rock breaking equipment at Harmony's Target 1 mine in the Free State, near Odendaalsrus.
In a statement on Monday, Harmony expressed its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased employee and said support was being provided to those affected by the tragedy.
