Editorial Comment: Mimosa’s expert handling of emergency laudable

predict when an accident might happen, nor what form it will take.
But mines can prepare for the worst. We saw these preparations at Mimosa.
There were refuge bays on the levels where the miners were trapped. Breathing apparatus was stored underground, so the miners could survive the smoke.
Effective communications were still in place, whether these were standard or back-up.
The three large Zvishavane mines had already made advance arrangements to pool their rescue teams should a serious problem hit one of them, which no doubt means production would be lost at all three but not lives.
No doubt the teams, or at the very least the team leaders, had trained together and thought about exactly how they would cope with different types of disaster.
So when Mimosa pressed the emergency button the other two mines responded promptly.
Most important it is clear that Mimosa management had trained and prepared for emergencies. Both above ground and below ground team leaders and senior managers knew what to do, were able to make rapid assessments of the emergency, quickly decide on the correct course of action and then get working.
Seventeen hours after the fire was noticed the last man was brought to the surface.
There was no panic, no expectation that anyone could muddle through. All that we saw was calm competence and a determination that the only possible outcome was the rescue of the trapped miners without loss of life and preferably without injury. That was achieved.
We have no doubt that for the trapped miners it was an ordeal they would rather have missed. Being trapped underground while fires rage overhead and smoke fills tunnels must be among every miner’s worst nightmares. But they followed their training, they followed orders, and no doubt yesterday were having a good rest.
The mine owners and the Mines Ministry will be investigating the cause of the fire. It might be human error; it might be, as the ministry noted, “a genuine accident”.
In one sense it is important to find out, largely to prevent such a fire happening again. Many  mining rules are in fact drawn up as a result of such investigations.
But in another sense the actual cause is less important than the fact that the mine was ready to cope. No matter how skilled men are, and no matter how good supervision and management is, mistakes will be made. All training can do is minimise, not eliminate, these.
No machinery is so perfect that it cannot develop faults very rapidly, even if it is well maintained. A lot of engineering skill goes into minimising such faults, but again they cannot be eliminated.
So in the end a mine has to be ready to face disaster. Training, preparations, skill and thought all play a part.
So, today Mimosa can breath a deep sigh of relief. What so easily could have been a tragedy, with dozens of bodies being winched to the surface, was instead a demonstration of what can be done if everyone is ready and prepared.
Zimbabwe can be proud that it does have the skilled thinking men, miners and managers, who were ready and who made a complex set of correct decisions.
And we note that just about everyone involved was a Zimbabwean.
We hope that all mines and all industries are taking similar precautions and are ready for the worst.
For what Mimosa shows is that, if you are ready, the worst can be survived.
Regardless of the cause of the fire, all at the mine should be saluted for the way they reacted.