Kalunga Opweeli (God exists) part 1 – Beware of falling rocks.

Always pray, always watch above your head, God exists  - The miners code.

Some occupations are pretty safe, others not so much. Geology has its risks, it has a plethora of dangers – to be more eloquent. Travelling to remote locations and spending extended periods of time outdoors, means that Mother Nature can do you in, in so many ways. Venomous serpents (or reptiles in general), hungry annoyed predators, and over exposure to heat and humidity (Yes, heat stroke kills!).  Ably assisted by the odd rifle wielding Afrikaner farmer, and the usually fatal car accident, Geology can be a really frightening occupation at times. That was until I decided to try underground mining, suddenly Geology seemed as safe as baby sitting a sleeping toddler.

A few months ago a quiet Australian and an Englishman who doesn’t rate the French Education system offered me a job, a job as a supervisor-in-training in an underground mine. A management opportunity at such a young age, who the heck would turn that down? I took the job, but it just didn’t feel right, my gut told me it was going to be rough, it took me three whole days before I signed the contract. I should have known, I mean who ever heard of a quiet Australian? And an Englishman who is half French but doesn’t like French Education, it smelled a bit fishy, really fishy.

The first thing they ask you, the first time you enter an underground mine is, “Did you pray?” My reply was an emphatic, “God is everywhere, even down there?” I should have been less cocky. After all, the guy asking me was one of my juniors at University. He was giving me the heads up.

The first thing they teach you on your first day in an underground mine is, “Always watch above your head.” My reply was a nod of the head, I might not be a genius but advice like that is to be taken. 

The first thing you realize in mining in general, is that some people will not embrace change. When you hear the phrase, “I’ve been at this mine for X number of years,” or, “We’ve been doing things like this before you were born.” And my personal favourite, “You found me here, and when you go you’ll leave me here.” Then, know that you’ve been thrown into the pit with a pride of hungry lions, so play dead and fart. They might just think that you’re dead and rotting and leave you alone. 

When a new recruit enters the scene, especially a young educated recruit brought in especially to become a manager in the future, the knives are out before you even say “Hello, my name is…” Better have your wits about you. There are no friends when survival is at stake.

In my first 3 months underground, a colleague on my team kept saying the same thing over and over. Especially when a near miss happens. The rest of the guys would laugh occasionally, but most of the time they’d nod, almost as if confirming the truth in it. The phrase is: “Kalunga Opweeli.” Which translates to. “God is there/God exists.” I often wondered if my colleague was religious, the constant referral to the existence of the almighty. I stopped wondering the day he told me that he has 3 children, from different mothers. He is not religious, but that doesn’t stop him from being a believer and having faith in God. After all, who but God decides when your time is up?

God started existing two months into the job, on a normal weekday underground. Full of dust, emasculated egos, and bullshit. We were preparing to drill, everyone was busy, when suddenly a deafening noise rung out. Everyone ran, heavy gumboots and all, we ran! Our team leader was at the front, a real lion heart that one is. I stopped halfway, not because I was brave, but because none of us were sure where the noise came from. You might be thinking you’re running from falling rocks when you’re actually running towards them.

The blaster on our team also stopped, we walked and followed the dust with our lamps. We made a chilling discovery, a rock face that we’d stopped working had fallen in. The slabs were so huge they’d bury a military tank and make it look like a toy car. My colleague came around, slowly cracking his playful laugh. He said his famous phrase, “Kalunga opweeli, papa.” I nodded, God is there alright. Just two days before, we were standing where the rocks now settled. If it was us under there, there’d be no long stories at the funerals, it would be a ‘say a few prayers’ and lower the casket type of situation.

The change from Geology to Underground mining has been rough, because unlike sharks, who are born swimming. Human beings learn from repetition. Gone was the routine of mapping, cross sections, and models. My days now revolve around drilling, blasting, and hauling ore to the surface. We aren’t in Kansas no more.

To be continued…