News24 | Mining fatalities fall to record low 41 even as rockfall incidents worsen

Long-term trends show fatalities, injuries and occupational illnesses in SA mining have declined sharply. There is, however, concern about 15 fall-of-ground fatalities in 2025, which increased from 12 the year before.

• The record low of 41 deaths in SA mining represents a 91% reduction from the 484 fatalities recorded in 1994.
• Progress on fall-of-ground incidents, or an uncontrolled movement of ground that poses safety hazards, regressed.
• The industry continues to work towards its objective of zero harm and is looking for reasons for the slip.
• For more financial news, go to News24 Business.

The SA mining industry recorded a historic low of 41 fatalities in 2025, down marginally from 42 the year before, and marking the second consecutive year of record-low deaths.

The milestone was announced on the sidelines of the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2026, where the Minerals Council South Africa said that, although the overall safety trend remained firmly downward, there had been a concerning rise in falls-of-ground fatalities.

The 41 deaths represent a 91% reduction from the 484 fatalities recorded in 1994, resulting from the mining industry’s steadfast commitment to its “zero harm” objective.

Japie Fullard, chair of the Minerals Council’s CEO Zero Harm Forum, said long-term trends show fatalities, injuries and occupational illnesses have declined sharply.

There is, however, concern about 15 fall-of-ground fatalities in 2025, which increased from 12 the year before, and from a record low of six in 2022.

Over the longer term, fall-of-ground deaths have fallen significantly, declining by 78% to an average of 24 a year in the 2016 to 2020 period, down from an average of 111 a year between 2001 and 2005.

Key interventions include mandatory entry examinations and daily making-safe procedures introduced in 2009, followed by the widespread adoption of netting and bolting of tunnel roofs and walls from 2012.

The Council said it would revisit its CEO-approved fall-of-ground action plan with member companies to understand the reasons for the setback.

Beyond fatalities, the Minerals Council highlighted a 12% reduction in serious injuries, which fell to 1693 in 2025 from 1925 in 2024. Serious injuries have declined by 80% over the past three decades, from 8 347 in 1994.

READ | Safest year on record for SA mining companies

The Council said collaboration with the Mines Inspectorate in the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources and with organised labour remained central to further progress. Mining CEOs also meet monthly under the Minerals Council’s structures to share lessons from incidents, analyse root causes and agree on corrective actions.

“It’s only through sharing like this that we grow our knowledge base and not repeat the mistakes that have hurt or killed our colleagues,” Fullard said.

The more hidden costs?

Health indicators have also continued to improve. Over the past 15 years, cases of tuberculosis (TB) and silicosis have fallen by more than 80%, with TB incidence now at 220 cases per 100 000 employees, which is about half the national average. Noise-induced hearing loss cases have declined by 55% over the same period.

According to data from the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, the total number of occupational diseases reported by mines fell by 7.6% to 1 723 in 2024, from 1 864 in 2023. The mining sector employs some 470 000 people.

Eleven of the reported fatalities in the sector last year occurred at Harmony Gold’s operations, marking a difficult start to the tenure of new group CEO, Beyers Nel.

Speaking to News24, Nel said the company has seen a turnaround in the past six months. “We had one – which is still one too many – but we had a rough period and then a phenomenal turnaround again.

“It’s tough on the families and the relatives of those people. I mean, it’s like a bomb that goes off … [and] as a company, it is immensely personal.”

Harmony mines old and deep gold mines, including Mponeng mine, which is the deepest mine in the world, extending 4km below the surface.

“Because of that context, we simply have to be better than anybody else at managing the safety. So, irrespective of the cost, we need to get it right,” said Nel, who has led the company’s safety strategy for a decade in his capacity as COO.

It is no minor feat. As Nel noted, there are more than 30 000 taxis operating in Gauteng. Compare that to some 50 000 employees at Harmony.

“Think about trying to get all the taxi operators in Gauteng, as of tomorrow, to follow the rules of the road, not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, not drive an unroadworthy vehicle, not overload their vehicles, and how do you do that?” he questioned.

The answer, he said, is to get into the heart and the mind of the actual operator to choose to not do that anymore – “that’s the culture side of it, and it’s tough work. It isn’t overnight, it’s a long process,” Nel added.

“But [in terms of] the leading indicators that have been introduced [and which] we measure against, it’s hugely positive; they are all trending down.”