Yet another mineworker at Harmony Gold’s mining operations has died following an underground incident on Thursday morning.
The tragic event, which took place at Harmony Gold’s Mponeng mine in Carletonville, Gauteng, was announced by the gold mining company in a media statement released on Friday evening. It brings the body count of workers who have died underground at Harmony’s mining operations since March 2023 to a staggering 13.
Number of deaths shoot up
Other Harmony Gold’s deadly incidents happened on:
- February 5 2025, when two employees died earlier this month in the company’s operations in Gauteng and the Free State.
- November 28 2024, when a Harmony worker died in Moab Khotsong mine near Orkney, in the North West due to a fall of ground accident;
- May 21 2024, when a Harmony employee at Phakisa mine lost his life following a blasting incident;
- May 1 2025, when an underground construction employee, working on planned rail maintenance, tragically lost his life at Harmony’s Mponeng mine;
- January 4 2024, when a Harmony employee tragically lost his life at its Mponeng mine near Carletonville;
- On October 6 2023, when a Harmony employee tragically lost their life at the company’s Tshepong North mine, near Odendaalsrus, in the Free State province, following a gravity-related fall of ground incident;
- On September 5 2023, when two of Harmony’s employees lost their lives at Kusasalethu mine, following a fall of ground incident caused by a seismic event;
- On April 30 2023, when a Harmony night shift team leader died at Harmony’s Kusasalethu Mine due to a seismic-induced fall of ground event;
- On March 23 2023, when a Harmony employee tragically lost his life on the firm’s Kusasalethu Mine; and
- On March 7 2023, when a Harmony employee died following a rigging-related incident at its Tshepong North mine.
Questionable safety record
These deadly work incidents bring into sharp focus Harmony Gold’s safety record.
On Friday the company said: “Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited deeply regrets to report a loss of life incident as a result of a fall of ground following a seismic event at Mponeng mine, near Carletonville, yesterday morning.
“All relevant authorities and stakeholders have been informed and an investigation, led by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), has begun,” said the company in the media.
Harmony’s group chief executive Beyers Nel stated that: “The safety and well-being of our employees is, and will always be, our number one priority. This tragic loss of life is devastating. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
“We are committed to zero harm, and yet recent events remind us that we must do more with urgency, with unity, and with unwavering resolve.”
Leadership day encourages safety
He said Harmony held a Visible Felt Leadership day on Wednesday, to reinforce the emphasis on safety and to reiterate to Harmonites that they have the right to withdraw from any area where they may feel unsafe.
On February 5, the company announced that it had experienced two separate loss of life incidents that took place over the previous day.
“Two employees lost their lives following a mining incident on Tuesday (February 4) morning at a development end at Doornkop Mine, in Soweto, Gauteng. All blasting operations have been temporarily suspended at this mine.
“In a separate incident, three employees succumbed to their injuries following a severe fall of ground incident at Joel Mine, near Theunissen in the Free State province.
The causes of these two unrelated incidents are currently under investigation, both internally and by the regulator. The relevant authorities have been kept fully apprised of the incidents.
“We are devastated by the news of these tragic incidents. The safety and wellbeing of our employees is our first priority, and the loss of lives of our colleagues is deeply saddening. We extend our heartfelt condolences to their families, colleagues and friends and will provide our full support to the families of the deceased during this challenging time.”
“We are doing all we can to prevent safety incidents through embedded and proactive risk management practices alongside our humanistic safety culture transformation journey. Our thoughts and prayers go out to every single person affected by these tragic events,” says Beyers Nel, chief executive officer of Harmony.
