S.African mine must shut for 6 wks after accident

ELANDSRAND MINE, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa's mining minister on Thursday ordered the Elandsrand mine owned by Harmony Gold to close for six weeks after an accident that stranded miners underground.

"The mine must be closed until the shaft is repaired to give us certainty that the situation is safe," Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica told Reuters at the mine.

"So it will be closed for six weeks and we will monitor the kind of repair before it can reopen," she added in an interview.