This headline echoes words by one of Ntshovelo Mining (Pty) Ltd’s directors at a ceremony held especially to highlight Mining Safety, on Vlakvarkfontein 213 IR (-‘Vlakvarkfontein’), one of Mbuyelo Resources mining operations in the Delmas area.
The Mbuyelo Resources (Pty) Ltd team was in awe at how much work had progressed on Vlakvarkfontein since their last site visit. The mine is a true example of the splendor obtained when good communication, hard work and smarts are the chief components of any project. Vlakvarkfontein is an opencast mine with coal measured at a worthwhile 19CV. Mine manager Hilton Papenfus gave a heads-up, “Quite a number of days on the mine have been lost due to rain, but Vlakvark is doing very well in terms of production, and is reaching its targets almost effortlessly,” he reiterated, as he showed the Ntshovelo team around the mine. Mining engineer, Ms Mphahlele pointed out the pollution dam on the premises which was a “no compromise” for the mine in terms of keeping the drinking water safe for the local community- the ecology of the country as a whole!

However, many miners still suffer a fatal price in an attempt to put food on the table. It is reported that thousands of miners die each year from mining accidents in the form of Methane and coal dust explosions. It makes perfect sense then that all were called to gather in honour of the 366 days of accident free mining at the Vlakvarkfontein mine on the 29th of March, 2011. Management congratulated all staff present, “We are very proud to come together under these circumstances- as a tribute to Mine Safety. May we continue on this path for many more years to come!” applauded Mbuyelo representative, Mr K Mthombeni. Then all remained for the breaking of bread to close off the day’s celebrations in a literal sense, tastefully! Amongst the management were representatives from Mbuyelo Resources, Continental Coal and Trollope Contracting respectively.

Three hundred and sixty-six (366) days accident-free was hailed worthy of praise by Ntshovelo Management, and gathering staff to praise this achievement was a welcomed gesture to all involved! This event highlighted the warm spirit of “ubuntu” which is the cornerstone of South African values across all cultures.