Central SA
MPs, Numsa move to block Ekapa liquidation as rescue efforts continue─── ZENANDE MPAME 13:39 Fri, 13 Mar 2026
The battle over the future of Ekapa Minerals is heading to court as lawmakers and organised labour move to stop the company’s liquidation.
The portfolio committee on mineral and petroleum resources and Numsa say their planned intervention aims to protect more than a thousand jobs. They also want to ensure rescue operations continue at the Dutoitspan Joint Shaft in Kimberley, where four mineworkers remain trapped 890m underground.
Members of the parliamentary committee, who conducted an oversight visit to the mine on Tuesday (10/3), raised serious concerns about the timing of the company’s provisional liquidation.
They argued that the move appeared to be an attempt to escape accountability, particularly because no indication of financial distress was raised during a previous oversight visit in October last year.
Members of the committee also cautioned that if the company runs out of money during the liquidation process, the rescue effort may be compromised. Finding and rescuing the remaining trapped miners must continue to be the first priority, they emphasised.
“We came to Kimberley to prevent what happened at Lilly Mine in Mpumalanga,” said committee chairperson Mikateko Mahlaule. “You cannot file for liquidation while miners are still trapped underground.
“We are concerned about the financial impact on the workers and their families with the liquidation proceedings now in motion. We implore the relevant authorities to ensure that all workers’ rights are protected during this process.
“We urge the mine management to keep their efforts going, ensuring that all safety standards are met while working tirelessly to bring the remaining workers to safety,” he said.
During the briefing, Ekapa Minerals mine manager Howard Marsden detailed the scale of the rescue operation underway at the shaft.
“There were 60 people underground at the time of the mud rush,” said Marsden. “The trapped miners were employed through contractors for specialist drilling and mechanised mining.
“Investigators are still trying to determine the source of the water that flooded the shaft. A sample of the water has been sent for testing.”
Recovery teams have pumped more than 37,500m³ of water from the shaft, completed 233m of life-support drilling, and removed nearly a thousand scoops of mud and debris from the affected area, he said.
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