Harmony has suspended employees over illegal mining

With the death toll leaping to 76, Harmony says steps had been to taken to combat illegal mining since January.

Harmony Gold has suspended 77 employees and 45 contractors since January from its Free State operations for helping illegal miners, a company spokeswoman told a newswire service on Friday. 

The spokeswoman said most of these employees had helped illegal miners underground with supplies or accepted bribes for access to mining properties.

This followed the death of 76 illegal miners at Harmony's Eland Shaft operations at Welkom in the past week. Most of the miners were allegedly killed by inhaling poisonous gas after an underground fire started on May 18. They were working in an abandoned area of the mine, a newswire service reported.

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