Overview
- Premier Zamani Saul detailed R10,000 for each family of the five trapped miners and R3,000 food vouchers for retrenched workers’ households, with a relief package totaling R3.5 million and added psycho‑social support.
- Two weeks after a mud rush at the Ekapa Mineral Joint shaft in Kimberley, rescue operations have been halted and recovery teams are working to retrieve the miners, who are presumed dead by officials.
- Ekapa Minerals is under provisional liquidation following the incident, with reported job losses ranging from about 1,100 to 1,200 workers.
- Saul called the liquidation a “tragedy on top of a tragedy,” noting the dual impact on families awaiting retrieval and employees who suddenly lost income.
- Labor unions pushed back on liquidation, with Numsa urging business rescue instead and the National Union of Mineworkers accusing the company of evading accountability; the case is set to return to court on Tuesday, 10 March, for final arguments.