Huge rescue push at S Africa mine

Rescuers have begun evacuating more than 3,000 workers trapped underground in a South African gold mine.

About 350 people had been rescued from the Elandsrand mine, 80km (50 miles) west of Johannesburg, by the early hours of Thursday, officials said,

Miners are being brought out through an adjacent shaft, but only 75 can be hauled clear at a time.

They became trapped at the bottom of a 2.2km (1.4 mile) shaft when a broken pipe severed power cables to a lift.

The accident happened at about 1000 (0800 GMT) on Wednesday at the Elandsrand mine, owned by Harmony Gold Mining.

Overnight a spokeswoman for the company, Amelia Soares, told the BBC that paramedics had reached the miners and that none were injured in the accident.

She said the bottom of the shaft, where they are trapped, was well ventilated and that the miners had access to water.

Rescuing all 3,200 would take some time, she said, as only 300 people can be brought to the surface every hour.

Maintenance questioned

Ms Soares said a "compressed pipe column" fell down the mineshaft, damaging steel work in the shaft and cutting "electrical feeder cords connected to the lifts underground".

The damage was only noticed late on Wednesday when miners working the day shift tried to surface from the deep shaft they were working in.

ELANDSRAND GOLD MINE Elandsrand mine has 6.9 million ounces of proven reserves Located 80km (50 miles) west of Johannesburg It has two vertical shafts - a men/material shaft and a rock/ventilation shaft A new mine, to be finished by 2010, is being built under the existing mine, which is still in use Harmony Gold Mining bought the mine in 2001

There has been no collapse or cave-in and there was no risk of flooding, said Ms Soares.

A spokesman for South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers said the mine shafts had not been properly maintained.

"Our guys there tell us that they have raised concerns about the whole issue of maintenance of shafts with the mine, but they have not been attended to," Lesiba Seshoka told the Associated Press news agency.

The Elandsrand mine is in the Witwatersrand Basin, which holds the world's largest gold deposit.

The mines there are among the deepest in the world.

Gold remains important to South Africa's economy, but the industry has been in decline in recent years.

The current high price of gold is keeping many otherwise marginal mines open.

Mr Seshoka said South Africa's mines have a poor safety record, with about 200 workers said to have been killed in accidents in each of the last two years.

Darfur rebels 'outgun' AU troops

The commander of African Union forces in Darfur, Gen Martin Luther Agwai, has said his troops are outnumbered and outgunned by rebels and militias.

Gen Agwai said that is why an AU base in the Sudanese region was overrun on Saturday with 10 soldiers killed.

He told a group of elder statesmen visiting Darfur that he did not expect to have any more troops until next year when a joint AU-UN force is deployed.

The UN Security Council has condemned the attack on the AU soldiers.

"We are outgunned, we are outnumbered and we can be overrun very quickly," Gen Agwai told the delegation of statesmen, led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The "Elders" have been visiting Darfur to try to find solutions to the conflict.

Rebels blamed

Gen Agwai said the AU detachment at the base in Haskanita had been caught off guard as they were conducting dusk prayers.

He said no African country could provide enough properly equipped troops for the mission in Darfur.

About 7,000 AU troops from 26 countries are currently patrolling the region, an area roughly the size of France.

The African Union is reviewing the force's mandate to allow it more scope to protect itself.

Gen Agwai said he did not expect any improvement in the situation on the ground in Darfur until next year when a 26,000-strong joint AU-UN force is to be deployed under his command.

Darfur rebels are being blamed for the Haskanita attack but it is not clear which of the many groups carried it out.

The UN Security Council has condemned the attack but council members wrangled over the language of their statement.

South Africa wanted it called a terrorist attack but the US, Britain and France urged caution on naming those who might be behind the killings, saying it is not yet clear who carried them out, says the BBC's Laura Trevelyan at the UN in New York.

The UN and the AU are investigating the attack.

At least 200,000 people have died and some 2m forced from their homes during the four year conflict in Darfur.

Mandela announces SA HIV/Aids gig

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has announced an international concert to be held for World Aids Day in Johannesburg on 1 December.

The aim is to raise awareness about HIV/Aids in a country with one of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates

More than five million people are HIV positive in South Africa.

Fifty thousand people are expected at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. More than 30 local and international artists will be performing.

For the past four years, Nelson Mandela has allowed his old prison number 46664 to be used as a banner in the fight against HIV/Aids.

Several 46664 concerts have been held around the world and Mr Mandela said 46664 would continue to organise major events to highlight the problem.

"I am very delighted that we are engaging the youth in schools, communities and through the media, breaking the silence and stigmas around HIV and Aids, and making them realise that the power to beat the pandemic, lies in their own hands," he said.

Since his retirement from politics, Mr Mandela has thrown himself into the struggle against Aids with determination.

In 2005, the cause took on a tragic personal dimension for him when his only surviving son, Mankato, died of Aids.