A total of 73 fatalities were reported in the mining sector in South Africa last year, a slight improvement from the 77 reported the previous year, according to the latest figures announced by Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane here Thursday.

Gold mines accounted for 30 deaths, the platinum sector 27, coal mines at four and other mines 12, he added when releasing the statistics on the health and safety performance of the mining industry in the mining town of Randfontein, about 40 kilometres west of here.

He said the figures suggested that the major gold and platinum mines continued to be the main contributors to accidents and subsequent loss of lives. This is regrettable, as we believe that these mines should be at the forefront in terms of the development of appropriate systems and expertise to enhance health and safety, Zwane said.

Despite the improvement in the number of fatalities reported in 2016, I want to convey my serious concern that we continue to experience loss of lives in the mining sector. Already there are four fatalities that have been reported since the beginning of this year, with the most recent occurring yesterday.”

He welcomed the decrease of 15 per cent in the number of injuries, from 3,138 in 2015 to 2,662 in 2016. It was also encouraging that occupational diseases reported by the gold, other and coal sectors were reduced by 15, 8.0 and 4.0 per cent, respectively.

The Minister said a number of initiatives had been embarked upon to enhance health and safety and his department would continue engaging and collaborating with its social partners to ensure that the health and safety of workers in the sector was prioritised.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK