S. African president urges solutions to "unacceptable rate of death" in mines

CAPE TOWN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday called for solutions to "the unacceptable rate of death" in the country's mines following the death of seven miners.

He made the appeal after the death toll at a South African mine had risen to seven following initial reports that four workers had passed away.

Repeated earthquakes struck the Sibanye-Stillwater's Driefontein mine near Carletonville, Gauteng Province on Thursday and Friday, trapping a total of 13 miners. Six other miners were injured and rescued.

Ramaphosa voiced hope that the investigation into the Driefontein disaster "will identify the causes of the incident and lead to solutions that will address the unacceptable rate of death in South African mines."

"We should spare no cost and no collaboration to ensure that workers are safe and their families are adequately cared for and compensated when disaster and tragedy strike," said Ramaphosa.

The thoughts and prayers of the government and South Africans at large are with the families of the deceased miners, among whom are workers from neighboring states including Mozambique, the president said.

"We also offer our best wishes to workers who have been directly or indirectly affected by this disaster, which should move the mining industry and government to jointly find ways to do all we can to protect our nation's most valuable resource -- the workers who are at the heart of our economy," he said.

As instructed by Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, a team of experts is being formed to help the industry prepare better for seismic events.

South Africa saw a rise in mining deaths last year.

The number of fatalities on South African mines increased to 88 last year, the first rise in a decade, compared with the 73 deaths recorded in 2016, official statistics show.

A total of 22 miners have been killed by the end of March this year.

According to the Department of Mineral Resources, 11,000 mineworkers were killed between 1984 and 2005, averaging 550 a year. Enditem