Central SA
Uncertainty deepens as Kimberley mine closes amid rescue efforts─── ZENANDE MPAME 16:00 Thu, 26 Feb 2026
The Ekapa mine in Kimberley says search operations will continue, with the focus on recovering the trapped mine workers once conditions allow safe access.
The Kimberley diamond mine shut down with immediate effect on Wednesday (25/2) after applying for liquidation. The company said the decision was not taken lightly but was considered in the best interests of all stakeholders.
It mentioned operational, financial, and safety factors as reasons for the closure. It has been more than a week since five mine workers have been trapped approximately 890m underground in Tunnel 6 following a mudslide. Numsa expressed concern that the mine has applied for liquidation while mine workers are still trapped underground.
“But we are not shocked, actually, as Numsa, because we have been telling the public that this mine has turned into a crime scene,” said Numsa Kimberley organiser Lerato Mohatlane. “It is no longer a workplace.”
“We are assured that the search is continuing, but in terms of how long it will continue, we are not sure in terms of how things are unfolding.”
We have 370 workers who are on an unpaid layoff as we speak, and then on top of that, we have 1,200 workers who are still working at the mine who did not receive their salary this month, and they do not know when they will get it, he said.
Stand in solidarity
During his Sopa, Premier Zamani Saul expressed his sadness over the Ekapa mine tragedy in Kimberley, and extended his deepest condolences to the affected families.
“During this painful and uncertain period, the affected families must know that we stand with them in solidarity,” he said.
FF Plus provincial leader Dr Wynand Boshoff said the probable death of five mineworkers in Kimberley is deeply tragic, and the FF Plus extends its condolences to the bereaved families.
“The resulting liquidation of the eKapa diamond mining group marks the next milestone in a process that has long been underway,” he said. “The process is the declining importance of diamond mining in the so-called Diamond City.”
“The question of whether Kimberley can find a new footing, effectively redesigning the city, now lies in the hands of Kimberley residents themselves.”
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