Pretoria - Government departments have started helping the families of miners who are still trapped at Lily Gold Mine in Barberton.
“The affected families have received trauma debriefing and counselling services as well as referrals to SASSA [South African Social Security Agency] for social relief of distress and food parcels for three months,” the Department of Mineral Resources said on Tuesday.
Further services which will be provided to the affected families and other workers from the mine include family therapy, family social circumstances assessment and intervention, on site social relief of distress including tents, blankets and mattresses and food, and assistance for families who are waiting for the trapped miners to be brought to the surface.
Government will also provide community therapy targeting mines.
Government’s intervention comes after President Jacob Zuma requested Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Susan Shabangu, and Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini to provide support to the families of the miners.
Today marks the 12th day Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Mazibuko and Solomon Nyerende became trapped underground. The trio was working in a shipping container office when the entrance of the mine collapsed, leading to the container falling into the ground.
Rescue operations remained suspended on Tuesday after the second major ground collapse in the open pit area on Saturday, which widened the exposed sinkhole, sending more rocks and other debris into the underground mining area.
Mine management made a decision to immediately evacuate all underground search and rescue teams in the interests of their safety. The mine says it will resume the rescue operation once a full geotechnical assessment has been completed and the risk levels of underground operations have been established.
“Unfortunately it is simply not possible at this stage to provide any definitive time frames on when the geotechnical assessment will be finalised.
“Some of the world’s best qualified specialists in this field have been called in following [Saturday’s] collapse of ground to lead the geotechnical assessment, which needs to be comprehensive and thorough to ensure that we don’t experience any further tragedy at Lily mine by exposing the rescue teams to even greater risk in a highly unstable underground environment,” CEO of Vantage Goldfields Mike McChesney said.
Lily mine is currently closed but community members have been holding prayers at the mine with the family members of the trapped miners. – SAnews.gov.za
