Jo'Burg Days: They Said It Was Only A Tremor
Barbara Durlacher tells of the terrible consequences of an earth tremor which earlier this year led to the closure of a South African gold mine.
Pain and fear, overlaid by exhaustion, was etched on the face of the survivor. The two strong men strained to take the burden of his mangled body, carrying him, his arms braced across their shoulders, with a firm grip between the legs, whilst avoiding his vital bits. The faces of the rescuers reflected compassion and concern and the knowledge of how close they had all come to death.
The tremor or, as it was termed by the papers the ‘quake’, with a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale, had come midway through the day shift. It was so severe that warning bells had rung to indicate immediate evacuation of all personnel from the danger area, including those working on the stope; some 3200 in all.
Conditions underground after the quake were difficult, with “vast damage, a lot of shakedown and broken rock over a distance of about 1.5km” and it was a miracle that all but one of the miners trapped by the rockfalls were rescued. The five-man proto (rescue) team were underground for 12 hours and spent five of those anxious hours on a 6 kilometre long walk “along the safest route possible” to bring the injured men to the surface. Sadly, one man is still unaccounted for, and there was one death, but considering the magnitude of the quake, it was a miracle that there were not more injuries and, worse, deaths.
All miners working underground are aware that it is a highly dangerous occupation, and before they commence work all personnel are trained in elementary safety precautions. As many precautions as possible are standard equipment, including dressing stations and emergency alarms on all levels, but accidents happen without warning and with dreadful speed and ferocity. It goes without saying that any accident is a huge tragedy for the families involved, who may lose the only breadwinner in an extended family and if the father-figure is killed be left without any means of support.
A family without a male head, or worst of all, a child-headed family, has no social status in the community as well as having no income and no means of support, and this can have prolonged and extensive consequences stretching over many years.
Picture the joy of the families when the father figure returns from the mines, bringing gifts and extra holiday pay. He may bring a radio, a bicycle, or wonder of all wonders, a motor car, or in another case, sufficient money to pay school fees and his male strength for heavy farming tasks. Evenings are spent around the fire listening to stories of what life is like in wondrous “eGoli”, and often, nine months later, there is a new baby to commemorate his visit. So, when a worker is killed the tragedy has huge implications and far reaching consequences which touch on all involved without respecting class or colour.
Above ground the damage from the quake was equally serious, with many buildings and residential apartments so badly affected that they have been declared unsafe for human habitation, and the occupants have been forced to find other accommodation. Fortunately, many have relatives in the area, or the Council will provide alternative accommodation until suitable housing can be arranged.
Quakes, tremors, rockfalls and shakedowns are amongst the most serious of the many dangers of operating the enormous and vastly rich gold mines of the West Wits basin, which is geologically prone to seismic events whilst, at the same time, being the site of one of the greatest concentrations of high-grade gold bearing ore in the world. However, the ore is found at vast depths and the record for deep level mining is held by West Driefontein Mine, where it still stands at an amazing 4 miles.
Mining at these depths is not only extremely difficult and dangerous but carries unexpected hazards not obvious to the uninitiated. The heat generated by the earth’s core at these depths is enormous, necessitating a sophisticated system of refrigeration and water cooling. In addition, the haulage distances for ore, men and equipment into and out of the mine are significantly longer, pushing up the cost of extracting the ore to uneconomic levels if mine accidents cause long delays or stoppages. It is only by employing the highest and very strictly enforced safety standards that the multitude of dangers and difficulties inherent in the industry can be overcome. But despite all the precautions, accidents happen, and sometimes these can result in loss of life or serious injuries.
The mining companies, controlled by strict regulations formulated by the Chamber of Mines, do everything they can to limit these injuries as well as damage to the underground workings, which represent an enormous capital investment. Their safety record is good, but there are some ‘Acts of God’ such as tremors, shifting of the earth’s tectonic plates and unexpected rockfalls, which no amount of careful preparation and safety precaution can avoid or prevent, with the consequent social consequences, heartbreak, and huge repair and replacement costs.
Sadly, the final outcome of this most recent tremor, combined with the current high value of the South African rand, has made this mine totally uneconomic to run, and within two weeks of the disaster, all the workers, some 6000 in all, have been told that the mine will close. It is possible that the effects of this closure will have far-reaching consequences not fully comprehended at this time, and either the government will have to step in to underwrite the continuing cost of keeping the mine open, or provide financial support for those thrown out of work.
