Residents in Ekurhuleni had their early morning sleep disrupted when an earthquake rocked them at 2.38am on Sunday.
The tremor, with an estimated 4.8 magnitude on the Richter scale, was felt as far as Pretoria.
The Council for Geoscience (CGS) said the earthquake’s epicentre was located in the Boksburg area, a few kilometres outside East Rand Proprietary Mine, in the East Rand, Johannesburg.
According to mining data website Mindat.org, the mine was established in 1893 and was, during its history one of the largest and deepest gold mines in the world. In 1993, mining was at a level of 3,430m below surface.
Thankfully there were no immediate reports of death or injury, but there have been incidents of mild to moderate building damage.
However, the CGS says it is investigating whether mining activity or fluctuations in groundwater levels caused the earthquake.
Earthquakes are becoming more common in Gauteng and Free State, where mining activity is rife.
This is not the first time mining is suspected to be the cause of an earthquake in South Africa.
In March, CGS reported an earthquake 60km from Bloemfontein registering 3.6 in the local magnitude scale, recorded by the South African Seismographic Network.
Then last year, residents of Brakpan, Springs and Boksburg in Ekurhuleni were shaken in their beds when an earth tremor measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale rocked the area on August 28.
If the latest incident is due to mining activity, South Africans should expect more of these man-made earthquakes. This is because South Africa is a country that is home to the world’s deepest mines.
In 2014, another earthquake occurred on August 5, in a gold mining town in the Klerksdorp district in North West.
The earthquake registered a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale, making it the biggest earthquake in South Africa since the 1969 Tulbagh earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.3.
The CGS said the 2014 earthquake was caused by mining-related activity, making it the biggest ever mining-related earthquake recorded in the country.
In 2018, seven miners were killed at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Masakhane in Driefontein, west of Johannesburg, after an earthquake caused a cave-in.
If the latest incident is due to mining activity, South Africans should expect more of these man-made earthquakes. This is because South Africa is home to the world’s deepest mines.
Several experts have warned the majority of our seismic events were mining-related because the stress it put on the earth could trigger a pre-existing geological fault, which would lead to a natural earthquake.
However, mining is one of the biggest contributors to the country’s economy.
But there are areas where there is illegal mining activity that also poses a risk to the residents’ wellbeing.
In KwaZulu-Natal’s Newcastle, illegal coal miners excavate the earth next to a village’s home, making life unbearable for residents.
More than 45 years of informal extraction of coal, where Blaauwbosch is located, has forced residents to relocate, a school to move and houses to crumble. People have died while digging for it.
In January, the bodies of eight suspected illegal miners were retrieved in Driekop outside Burgersfort in Limpopo. The men who were digging for chrome at Ga-Maroga village died when they were trapped underground.
They were busy with illegal mining activities when the water from heavy rains in the area apparently pushed the soil and blocked the only point they were using for entry and exit.
Illegal miners work on some of the mines which have been closed and their activities might cause some of these earthquakes.
Earlier this year, mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe said it will take at least 17 years for the government to close all the shafts that have been left open by previous owners.
It seems the department needs a shake-up measuring more than 5 on the Richter scale to eliminate dangerous mining activities to ensure there are fewer of these catastrophes.
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