Miners trapped underground due to Eskom’s power failure

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Eskom has released a statement clearing a matter about Sibanye Gold Miners who were left stranded as a result of power supply interruption due to theft and vandalism.

One could come to a conclusion that lack of or poor security to some of strategic industries may lead to a huge economic sabotage.

It is said according to the statement by the power utility that the Miners in Randfontein were unable to resurface because of power supply interruption caused by powerlines that fell as the integrity of the pylons along these was compromised due to theft and vandalism.

They said lines at Cooke shaft one as well as the Kagiso and Panvlakte Cooke shafts fell during a storm. Pylons are used to support electrical cables that transmit high-voltage electricity from where it is generated, such as a power station or wind farm, through the energy system to homes and businesses.

They also added that the weakened pylons structures was caused by theft of tower members and digging around the foundation structure led to unstable ground.

But the Miners were able to resurface safely as Eskom worked on restoring power at a high cost.

This also led to a halting of production in the mine.

Eskom said the Miners were trapped on Monday but did not elaborate on the duration.