Friday, 20 February 2026:- The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveys its message of solidarity to workers affected by the mudslide that left five mineworkers trapped since Tuesday morning at Ekapa in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province.

The SACP also supports all measures geared towards the safe return of the five mineworkers who remain trapped close to 900 metres underground. In this regard, the SACP urges the government to ensure that human life is placed at the centre of all search and rescue efforts. Accordingly, efforts to rescue the trapped workers must not be abandoned prematurely to protect the mine’s private profits.

While the cause of the accident has been blamed on an unexpected mudslide, the SACP calls for a comprehensive investigation on the matter, particularly whether there were adequate safety measures to prevent the occurrence of the accident. It must be investigated whether risk assessments, early-warning systems, and emergency preparedness protocols were in place and fully implemented.

The SACP demands full transparency in the investigation process and that families must not be sidelined. Specific investigations must be focused on, but not limited to, the mine’s compliance with occupational health and safety legislation, the status of safety audits, inspections and risk mitigation plans related to mud rushes, and the role of management and regulators in ensuring a safe working environment.

As the SACP, we also call for workers to unite in light of this incident. It has been largely due to organised labour that safety standards have improved in the mining industry over the years, with workers working as a united force to undo centuries of disregard and neglect by mining companies. Accordingly, the SACP urges workers to be organised in progressive unions to ensure that their interests, not least health and safety matters, are always addressed with expediency.

ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
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Mbulelo Mandlana, Head of Media, Communications and Information
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