Mineworkers freed after being trapped underground due to vandalism of Eskom power lines
Mineworkers at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mine in Randfontein have been brought to the surface following a power outage due to the vandalism of Eskom’s power lines.
The vandalism caused mineworkers to be trapped underground after the collapse of the power lines supplying electricity to the mineshafts.
Eskom has since restored power to the mine in Randfontein,
A team of Eskom technicians was dispatched to the site, managed to restore power supply, and the trapped miners were safely evacuated and brought to the surface on Monday.
Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi says 132 KV power lines fell during a storm causing a power outage at Cooke shaft 1/Cooke, Cooke shaft 3/Kagiso and Panvlakte/Cooke.
"The pylon structures were weakened by the theft of the tower members and the unstable ground caused by digging around the foundation. Production in the gold-extracting mine came to a grinding halt while Eskom worked to restore supply at significantly high costs.
Theft of tower members leads to the instability and collapse of the pylons that carry high-voltage power lines, which then pose a serious safety risk to members of the public. This criminal practice has an additionally devastating impact on the economy and on Eskom’s ability to sustain the provision of electricity."
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