SIBANYE STILLWATER: Shaft incident at Kloof 4 shaft

Johannesburg – Sibanye-Stillwater has reported that an incident at its Kloof 4 (Ikamva) shaft, SA gold operations occurred on Sunday, 30 July 2023. During a standard safety trial run of the conveyance system, conducted prior to hoisting employees up the shaft, infrastructure damage occurred when the ascending counterweight to the conveyance encountered an unknown obstruction in the shaft, resulting in a number of ballast plates falling down the shaft. As a result of the incident, access via the shaft to underground levels between 39 and 46 levels was restricted.

The incident occurred between shifts and all employees below 39 level were safely brought to the surface without any injuries sustained. Power has subsequently been restored to the shaft area allowing the pumping of water from the shaft bottom to commence.   Teams have started working on ensuring the safety of the shaft to facilitate and plan essential repairs within the shaft barrel and assess the extent of the infrastructure damage below 39 level. The extent of structural damage to the shaft steelwork has not yet been established but may result in a significant delay to the resumption of operations below 39 level. Kloof 4 shaft produces an average of about 9,650 oz (300kg) of gold per month or 115,743oz (3,600kg) annually, which accounts for approximately 14% of annual production from the SA gold operations (excluding DRDGOLD).