Central SA
Rescue efforts continue after body found at Kimberley Mine─── ZENANDE MPAME 16:31 Mon, 09 Mar 2026
Recovery operations of the five trapped miners at Ekapa Minerals mine in Kimberley are ongoing after the body of a miner was recovered on Monday (9/3).
Northern Cape police are investigating an inquest after the recovery of the body. The men have been trapped 890m underground since a mud rush incident on Tuesday, 17 February.
The mine had applied for liquidation and stopped operations with immediate effect, leaving more than a thousand workers without work or pay.
Operations are ongoing to retrieve the rest of the men. Police have confirmed the body was retrieved this afternoon.
“Kimberley detectives are investigating an inquest after the body of an adult male was recovered from a mine in Kimberley,” said Northern Cape police spokesperson Cherelle Ehlers. “The investigation continues.”
The Ekapa Minerals mine will be under provisional liquidation until Tuesday, 17 March, when legal proceedings continue in the High Court in Kimberley.
Following an application for liquidation, the diamond mine closed on Wednesday, 25 February, with immediate effect. 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.
The union representing mine workers, Numsa, demanded an accelerated search and rescue effort as well as a thorough, open investigation into the event that left five workers unaccounted for.
More than a thousand miners have lost their jobs and have not been paid their February salaries. Parliament’s mineral resources committee said it was surprised by the sudden closure of the Ekapa mine.
Families of the trapped Ekapa Minerals mine workers and the workers affected by the liquidation will be financially assisted by the Northern Cape government.
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.
“It’s a tragedy on top of a tragedy. We have a thousand 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.”
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