Calls for accountability after deadly collapse at Nkaneng near Rustenburg
The Bench-Marks Foundation has raised serious questions about the legal and environmental compliance of a company whose area of operations includes the disused site outside Rustenburg where 14 illegal miners died after an excavation cave-in.
According to the foundation, Sustenza Trading holds a permit for the exploration of Platinum Group Metals at the site in Nkaneng, but there is no publicly available evidence that the company has filed the fundamental documents required by law: an environmental impact assessment (EIA), an environmental management plan (EMP) and a social and labour plan (SLP).
“I checked up on the mining company on the internet. All mining companies are supposed to publish their environmental impact assessment, their environmental management plan, as well as their social and labor plans, and I can’t find any evidence that this company has any of these things,” said Bench-Marks’ David van Wyk.
Van Wyk questioned how a permit could be granted where the basic requirements appear not to have been met. “And so, I wonder how it gets a permit when it does not actually meet the basic requirements for having a mining license. And mining licenses, these days, are very easily issued without it being necessarily any compliance,” he said.
Local consequences and unanswered questions
The deaths in Nkaneng have intensified scrutiny of abandoned and disused shafts around Rustenburg, where informal and illegal mining is widespread. The Bench-Marks Foundation’s concerns focus on transparency and whether the permitting authority followed statutory checks before granting exploration rights.
- Permit status: Sustenza Trading was reportedly afforded an exploration permit for platinum group metals at the site.
- Missing documentation: Bench-Marks cannot find public records of an EIA, EMP or SLP for the company.
- Community risk: The absence of published environmental and social plans raises questions about mitigation measures for community safety around disused workings.
Efforts to obtain comment from Sustenza Trading were not successful, the foundation said. The lack of immediate company response leaves outstanding questions about the company’s obligations and compliance record at the time of the incident.
Facts known so far
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Nkaneng, near Rustenburg, North West |
| Deaths | 14 |
| Activity | Illegal mining at a disused site (excavation collapse) |
| Company with permit | Sustenza Trading (exploration permit for Platinum Group Metals) |
The foundation’s criticism highlights weaknesses that many in Rustenburg’s communities have long complained about: a lack of transparency around mining permits, weak enforcement around abandoned shafts, and limited public access to environmental and social plans intended to protect workers and residents.
Civil-society groups and families of victims will likely press for a fuller investigation into how permits were issued and whether regulatory safeguards were observed. The questions raised by Bench-Marks will also test the capacity of municipal and provincial authorities to account for oversight of exploration and mining activity within the Rustenburg area.
As the identification of the deceased and forensic processes continue under the coordination of provincial authorities, community leaders and labour advocates say answers about regulatory compliance and community safety plans are essential to prevent further tragedies in and around Rustenburg’s many disused shafts.
Further developments, including any response from Sustenza Trading or statements from provincial regulators, remain awaited.
