Central SA
Ekapa Minerals provisional liquidation case returns to high court in Kimberley─── ZENANDE MPAME 12:50 Mon, 16 Mar 2026
Ekapa Minerals in Kimberley is under provisional liquidation until Tuesday (17/3), when legal proceedings continue in the high court in Kimberley.
The mine applied for liquidation and stopped operations with immediate effect in February, leaving more than a thousand workers without work or pay. Operations are still ongoing to retrieve the rest of the men trapped in a shaft.
Northern Cape police are investigating an inquest after the recovery of one body at the mine on Monday, 9 March. The men have been trapped 890m underground since a mud rush incident on Tuesday, 17 February.
The diamond mine closed immediately on Wednesday, February 25, following an application for liquidation. According to the company, all stakeholders’ best interests were taken into consideration, and the decision was not made hastily.
The shutdown was justified by operational, budgetary, and safety considerations.
General manager Howard Marsden told parliament’s portfolio committee on minerals and petroleum resources the force of the mud rush was so severe that the trucks found underground are in pieces.
“We have found these vehicles whilst we were busy loading in the tunnels,” said Mine Rescue Services South Africa CEO Mannas Fourie. “They came out in pieces.
“It’s also making our job a lot more difficult because they’re tied up in between this broken ore and big rocks and mud, and now and then you need to take them out. It’s taking us a lot of time to get that machinery and equipment out.
“There’s no quicker means to get to where we need to go through the tunnels, as they need to be loaded. There’s lots of mud still left up to the roof of the tunnels, we are trying to create space where we can pack this mud so that we can speed up the process,” he said.
The company expressed condolences to the family of the deceased miner as well as to colleagues who worked alongside him.
“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.”
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