- At least nine miners were killed after a mine shaft collapsed and trapped them a kilometer underground, Impala Platinum Holdings said today in a statement. All the bodies have been recovered.
The mine statement said the accident happened on Monday about 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) underground at a mine in Rustenberg, 100 kilometres north-west of Johannesburg.
Local reports said mining accidents kill about 200 people a year in South Africa, a major exporter of gold, diamonds, platinum and coal.
Accidents are common in South Africa's mines, which are some of the deepest in the world. A fire at an illegal mine has recently killed more than 80 people in the Free State mine.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.