Harmony Gold has confirmed that two of its workers died at Mponeng, the world’s deepest mine, yesterday May 24.

The workers, two residents of Fochville in their early 50’s, died when a pipe fell on them just after 08:00. Although colleagues tried to help them, they had already passed away.

According to Harmony Gold’s Head of Communications, Chipo Morapedi-Mrara, the accident was “shaft engineering related”.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Management is providing the necessary support to the families and affected employees during this difficult time,” she says.

Morapedi-Mrara added that all relevant stakeholders have been notified and that an investigation, led by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), is underway.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of life. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of our employees during this very difficult time. The safety and well-being of our people remain our highest priority, and we are committed to fully understanding the circumstances of this incident, learning from it, and doing everything possible to prevent a recurrence,” said Beyers Nel, Chief Executive Officer of Harmony.