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Ekapa Mine in Kimberley in the Northern Cape.
Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe says the retrieval of the bodies of the five men trapped 890 meters underground will be achieved soon.
He returned to Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, Northern Cape, on Friday.
Mantashe says dewatering of the shaft has been successfully achieved and teams have now entered the second phase of loading stones and mud and will soon get to the five miners.
The minister has also called on mine management to halt the liquidation process until the bodies of the trapped miners have been retrieved.
“Management must meet both unions regularly. That is the first thing. On the rescue operation, at least they have pumped the water out. They are now loading stones and mud. We’re hoping that by this time tomorrow, we’ll be expecting to reach the first body, if we can, it’s an estimate. We must reach the first body. If we can reach the first body, the priority is to take those bodies out of the ground.”
Ekapa Minerals | Mine placed under liquidation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHRmpLo89pg
