Central SA
Northern Cape pledges aid to Ekapa mine families, workers─── ZENANDE MPAME 11:47 Mon, 09 Mar 2026
Families of the trapped Ekapa Minerals mine workers and the workers affected by the liquidation will be financially assisted by the Northern Cape government.
Monday (9/3) marked 21 days since five mine workers had been trapped 890m underground following a mud slide. The mine had applied for liquidation and stopped operations with immediate effect, leaving more than a thousand workers without work or pay.
Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul announced assistance to families in the form of R10,000 each and R3,000 food vouchers for workers affected by the liquidation.
During a prayer session at the company’s joint shaft mine on Friday (6/3) for the five miners still trapped, Saul labelled the provisional liquidation of Ekapa Minerals as “a disaster on top of a disaster”.
“It’s a tragedy on top of a tragedy. We are now sitting with five workers in a shaft at a mine, and have 1,100 workers who are patrolling the streets, unemployed.
“They don’t know where their next meal will come from. The total cost of this commitment to try and assist these families and workers is about R3.5m.”
The Ekapa Minerals mine will be under provisional liquidation until Tuesday, 17 March, when legal proceedings continue in the High Court in Kimberley.
The diamond mine shut down with immediate effect on Wednesday, 25 February, after applying for liquidation. The company said the decision was not taken lightly but was considered in the best interests of all stakeholders.
During mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe’s visit on Friday, he said rescue teams had entered the second phase of loading stones and mud, and will soon get to the miners, marking a critical turning point in the ongoing operation.
Mine workers’ union Numsa called for an accelerated search and rescue operation and a full, transparent investigation into the incident that has left five workers missing.
Devastating blow
“The immediate closure of Ekapa Mine is a devastating blow to the Northern Cape economy,” it said in a statement. More than a thousand workers now face the grim reality of unemployment. Research confirms that one mineworker supports at least ten family members.
“We are prepared to take any necessary action to ensure that 2026 does not become another year defined by mourning and industrial negligence. Our members do not go underground to die; they go to work to provide for their families.”
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