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Mine Worker

Mine Worker CV example and template (South Africa)

Updated November 2026 · Written for South African employers

South Africa's mines hire thousands of general mine workers every year: general miner's assistants, rock drill operators, winch operators, loco and loader drivers, and people who install support. Platinum mines run along the Bushveld in North West and Limpopo, around Rustenburg, Brits, Northam and Burgersfort. Deep gold mines are on the West Rand and in Gauteng, the Free State and around Klerksdorp and Orkney in North West. Coal mines are mostly in Mpumalanga and around Lephalale in Limpopo, and iron ore and manganese mines are in the Northern Cape. Big employers include Sibanye-Stillwater, Implats, Valterra Platinum (called Anglo American Platinum until 2025), Harmony, Exxaro and Seriti, and contractors such as Cementation Africa (formerly Murray & Roberts Cementation) also employ underground crews. Every mine works under the Mine Health and Safety Act, so a recruiter or mine overseer reading your CV checks first that you can pass the mine medical and get a certificate of fitness, that you have done induction training, which MQA (Mining Qualifications Authority) skills programmes you hold, and that you have a clean safety record underground.

The example below is for a rock drill operator with about seven years underground at platinum mines, who started as a general worker for a contractor and has also worked as a winch operator. If you are new, put your matric or highest grade, any mining learnership, and your willingness to work underground on shifts near the top, and say which mining towns you can live in. Write down every skills programme you have done, with the year, because mines use them to decide who may do which job. If you have worked in the heat of a deep mine, say that you passed heat tolerance screening, because it saves the mine time.

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Mine Worker CV example

Itumeleng Ramokgopa

Underground rock drill operator with 7 years' experience at platinum mines in North West

082 555 0862 · itumeleng.ramokgopa@example.co.za · Rustenburg, North West

Profile

Rock drill operator with seven years underground at platinum mines in the Rustenburg area. Drills stope and development faces to the miner's marks, makes safe and bars down after every blast, installs temporary support and has operated double drum scraper winches. Holds MQA skills programmes for rock drill operator, double drum winch operator, blasting assistant and examining and declaring a workplace safe. Valid certificate of fitness, passed heat tolerance screening and no lost-time injuries in seven years.

Work experience

Rock Drill Operator

Sibanye-Stillwater, Rustenburg operations, Rustenburg | Apr 2022 – Present

Drill 35 to 40 shot holes a shift on a conventional stope panel to the miner's marks
Make safe and bar down the hanging wall and sidewalls after every blast before the crew enters
Install about 20 mine poles and elongates a shift as temporary support to the support standard
Assist the miner as an appointed blasting assistant with primers, charging and connecting the round
Train new crew members on barring, support and using the self-rescuer

Winch Operator

Impala Platinum (Implats), Rustenburg, Rustenburg | Feb 2020 – Mar 2022

Operated a double drum scraper winch to clean about 60 tonnes of broken rock a shift into the ore pass
Checked the winch, rope, scraper and signals before each shift and reported faults to the shift supervisor
Installed temporary support and safety nets with the stope crew

General Worker (Underground)

Murray & Roberts Cementation (now Cementation Africa), Brits | Jan 2019 – Jan 2020

Worked on a contract development crew, cleaning ends, moving material and laying track
Loaded hoppers and moved rock and material with a loco under the loco driver's direction

Education

National Certificate in Mining Operations (Underground Hard Rock)

MQA learnership at an accredited mine training centre, 2020, NQF level 2

Subjects: Underground hard rock mining operations, Occupational health and safety underground, Support installation and cleaning, Hazard identification and reporting

National Senior Certificate (Matric)

Bafokeng High School, 2017, NQF level 4

Subjects: Setswana Home Language, English First Additional Language, Mathematical Literacy, Geography, Life Sciences, Life Orientation

Skills

Rock drilling with a pneumatic rock drill
Making safe and barring down
Temporary support installation
Double drum scraper winch operation
Blasting assistant duties
Entry examination and hazard reporting
Self-rescuer and emergency procedures
Working in hot underground conditions

Certificates

Skills Programme, Rock Drill Operator (underground hard rock), Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA), 2022
Skills Programme, Double Drum Winch Operator (underground hard rock), Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA), 2020
Skills Programme, Blasting Assistant within Underground Hard Rock, Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA), 2023
Skills Programme, Examination and Declaring Safe of a Workplace (Competent Person A), Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA), 2024
Certificate of Fitness to perform work at a mine, including heat tolerance screening, Mine occupational medical practitioner, 2026
Basic First Aid, Accredited first aid training provider, 2025

Achievements

No lost-time injuries in seven years underground
Stopped work twice in 2025 to report bad hanging wall, and the area was re-supported before anyone was hurt

Personal details

Nationality:: South African
Languages:: Setswana (Home language), English (Good), Sepedi (Fluent)
Notice period:: Four weeks
Availability:: Available for underground shifts, including night shift and weekends, anywhere in the Rustenburg and Brits area

References

Moses Kgatle

Miner (blasting certificate holder) in charge of my crew, Sibanye-Stillwater, Rustenburg operations

014 555 0347

Lindiwe Masilela

Shift Supervisor, Impala Platinum (Implats), Rustenburg

014 555 0592

Mine Worker CV summary you can copy

Change the details so they are true for you.

Rock drill operator with seven years underground at platinum mines in the Rustenburg area. Drills stope and development faces to the miner's marks, makes safe and bars down after every blast, installs temporary support and has operated double drum scraper winches. Holds MQA skills programmes for rock drill operator, double drum winch operator, blasting assistant and examining and declaring a workplace safe. Valid certificate of fitness, passed heat tolerance screening and no lost-time injuries in seven years.

Skills to list on your Mine Worker CV

Drilling stope and development faces with a hand-held pneumatic rock drill to the marks given by the miner
Making safe and barring down loose rock from the hanging wall and sidewalls with a pinch bar after blasting
Entry examination of the workplace, including checking for misfires, loose rock and missing support
Installing temporary support such as mine poles, elongates and safety nets, and helping with permanent support
Operating double drum scraper winches to clean broken rock from stopes into gullies and ore passes
Assisting the miner as a blasting assistant, preparing primers and charging holes under the miner's control
Using PPE correctly, including a hard hat and cap lamp, safety boots, hearing protection, a dust mask and a self-rescuer
Taking part in start-of-shift safety talks and doing a risk assessment before work starts
Reporting unsafe conditions and using your right to leave a dangerous working place
Working in hot, deep workings and drinking water regularly as part of the heat stress programme
Basic first aid and knowing the escape routes and refuge bays
Moving rock and material with a loco and hoppers on track

Duties written as strong bullet points

Drilled an average of 35 to 40 shot holes a shift on a stope panel with a pneumatic rock drill, to the miner's marks for direction and depth
Made safe and barred down the hanging wall and sidewalls after every blast before anyone entered, sounding the rock with a pinch bar to find loose pieces
Installed about 20 mine poles and elongates a shift as temporary support, keeping to the support standard distances from the face
Operated a double drum scraper winch to clean about 60 tonnes of broken rock a shift from the stope into the ore pass
Assisted the miner as an appointed blasting assistant, preparing primers, charging holes and connecting the round, while the miner kept control of the explosives and initiated the blast
Checked my self-rescuer, cap lamp and gas detector at the lamp room every shift and reported any fault before going underground
Took part in the start-of-shift safety talk and the crew's risk assessment, stopping work twice to report bad hanging wall to the shift supervisor
Worked at more than 1,000 metres below surface in hot conditions, following the heat stress rules for water, rest breaks and acclimatisation after leave
Trained four new general workers in the crew on barring, support installation and using the self-rescuer

Tips for a stronger Mine Worker CV

List your skills programmes with years

Mines decide who may drill, operate a winch, help with blasting or declare a workplace safe by the MQA skills programmes you have passed. Write the full name, such as "Rock Drill Operator, underground hard rock" or "Double Drum Winch Operator", the training provider or mine and the year. A list like this tells a recruiter exactly where you fit in a crew.

Mention your certificate of fitness and heat screening

No one may work at a mine without a valid certificate of fitness from the mine's occupational medical practitioner. Say that yours is valid and when it was issued. If you have passed heat tolerance screening for hot underground workings, add that too, because deep gold and platinum mines must screen people before they work in heat.

Name the mines, shafts and mining method

"Stoping at a Rustenburg platinum shaft with conventional drill and blast" tells a mine overseer more than "worked underground". Say whether you worked in hard rock or coal, conventional or mechanised mining, stoping or development, and how deep, because each needs different skills and inductions.

Show your safety record

Safety comes first underground. Give your record in years without a lost-time injury, and mention times you reported a hazard or stopped work when the ground was bad. Mines want people who look after themselves and their crew, not people who take shortcuts to hit the target.

Say where you can work and live

Mines recruit locally first, especially from the communities around the shafts. Put your home town and province clearly, and say if you are willing to move to another mining area or work on a contract for a mining contractor. Add your shift availability, including night shift and weekends.

Questions people ask

What is a certificate of fitness and how do I get one?

Under section 13 of the Mine Health and Safety Act, every mine must run medical surveillance, and an occupational medical practitioner (a doctor appointed by the mine) decides whether you are fit for the job you will do. You get a medical examination at the mine's medical station before you start and at regular check-ups. If you meet the minimum standards for the job, you get a certificate of fitness. Keep a copy, because contractors and other mines will ask for it.

What is heat tolerance screening?

In deep mines the rock is hot, and some workings reach wet bulb temperatures of 27.5 °C or more. The Department's guideline for the thermal stress code of practice says people who work in hot conditions should be screened. Heat tolerance screening is usually a 30-minute step exercise in a hot climatic chamber while your body temperature is checked. If you pass, you are classed as potentially heat tolerant and then acclimatise underground.

Who may do blasting at a mine?

Blasting must be done by a competent person appointed in writing, usually a miner who holds a blasting certificate of competency issued by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. There are separate certificates for scheduled mines (underground hard rock), fiery mines (mainly coal) and opencast mines. To apply you need at least Grade 10, N1 or ABET Level 3, a first aid certificate, a certificate of fitness, and a record of qualifying shifts endorsed by the mine manager, and then you must pass the examination. A blasting assistant, trained on an MQA skills programme, helps the miner prepare primers, charge holes and connect the round, but does not initiate the blast.

What is the MQA and how can it help me get a mining job?

The Mining Qualifications Authority is the SETA for mining and minerals. It funds learnerships, such as the National Certificate in Mining Operations for underground hard rock at NQF level 2, and short skills programmes for jobs like rock drill operator, winch operator, blasting assistant and safe declarer. Unemployed people usually get into a learnership through a mine, often through its community or social and labour plan recruitment, so watch the notices at local mines and labour offices.

What qualifications do I need to work underground?

Many entry-level mine jobs ask for Grade 10 to matric, and some take ABET. You must pass the mine medical, do the mine's induction, which covers the Mine Health and Safety Act, hazards, PPE, the self-rescuer and emergency procedures, and pass the induction assessment. You will also do refresher training at set times, for example after long leave. Matric with Mathematics and Physical Sciences helps if you want to become a miner, artisan or shift supervisor later.