In 1992, Anglo Coal's New Vaal Colliery coalmine was considered an environmental disaster - spontaneous combustion had caused fire to spread the full 4.5km length of its main pit rendering mining impossible.

Situated on the banks of the Vaal River close to a community, 70km south of Johannesburg, efforts to control the fires by smothering them with sand and using a backactor proved futile.

New Vaal Colliery assistant manager Gerhard Stenzel said after spending a fortune on consultants, it was the simple, practical solutions offered by the company's mining workers that turned the situation around.

"It was a running comment by workers when they saw management coming in their suits that they might look good but you should see the amount of damage they can do," he said.

"We sidelined management and spoke directly to the people to try and fix the problem."

By buffer blasting the areas where the fires were raging in the underground workings the staff at New Vaal sealed the entrances preventing the air from getting trapped.

"Buffer blasting alone was not adequate to prevent spontaneous combustion fires at New Vaal so we also sand dressed the highwalls," Stenzel said.

Stenzel said because of the sensitivity of the New Vaal area the company had to be extremely aware of effectively monitoring the environment and decided to throw the mine's doors open to public scrutiny.

"What was a serious incident which could have easily resulted in the closure of the mine because of the sensitivity of the New Vaal area, but it is now a mine producing to its full potential," he said.