(Recasts with end of rescue mission, minister dancing)By James MachariaELANDSRAND MINE, South Africa, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The last of 3,200 miners trapped deep in a South African mine shaft was saved on Thursday, capping a day-long rescue mission that began with fears of the worst and ended in wild celebrations.Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica was among those who danced and sang when an exhausted Mandis Mandanga, 57, walked out of Harmony Gold's (HARJ.J: Quote Research ) Elandsrand gold mine outside of Johannesburg at 1838 GMT."I am overjoyed. It was an extraordinary achievement saving 3,200 people," Sonjica said, as paramedics treated Mandanga for exhaustion and dehydration.Mandanga said: "It was very hot and I am tired, but I am okay now."His ordeal began late Wednesday night when an electricity cable to the mine's main lift was severed, stranding the mine's workforce, which included an estimated 200 women.They were stuck in a cramped space in the mine, where temperatures were believed at times to have reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).The accident prompted the government to order Harmony Gold, the world's fifth biggest gold miner, to shut down operations at the mine for six weeks.Jeanneth Makamu, exhausted and wearing dusty green overalls, said she had spent much of the time underground thinking about her family. Her husband, who also works at the mine, escaped the accident."I was worried for my two children and my husband Steven. I met him as I came in the morning shift and he was walking out (after a nightshift)," said Makamu.As she and others emerged from 2.2 km (1.4 miles) underground they were handed food packages before they headed to their hostel accommodation. The miners were brought up slowly in a small lift to avoid risks, mining officials said.Harmony Gold said clean air and water had been pumped to the workers while they were underground.Both the company and the mining union said better safety standards were needed at the mine near Carletonville, southwest of Johannesburg. Company chairman Patrice Motsepe described the accident as a "wake up call to all of us".DEEPEST IN WORLDProduction at the mine was halted shortly after the accident.Sonjica, who visited a mine operated by AngloGold Ashanti (ANGJ.J: Quote Research ) this week where four workers died in a rock fall, ordered the Carletonville operation be shut down for six weeks."The mine must be closed until the shaft is repaired to give us certainty that the situation is safe," Sonjica told Reuters.The miners were trapped when an air pipe broke off and hurtled down the shaft, damaging steelwork and severing an electrical cable carrying power to the main lift, said Graham Briggs, Harmony's acting chief executive.The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) blamed poor safety standards and Harmony's practice of mining 24 hours a day."We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks," NUM President Senzeni Zokwana told reporters.Harmony dismissed the allegations of negligence, although Motsepe said additional measures were needed to protect workers."Our safety records both as a company and as a country leave much to be desired," he told reporters.South African gold mines are the deepest in the world, and unions have often criticised companies for not doing enough to ensure workers' safety.Gold mine operations have come under scrutiny over the past few months after a series of accidents. Companies are mining ever deeper to reach remaining seams and reap the benefits of a sharply higher world bullion price.
Map highlighting Carletonville, Gauteng province S. Africa. 
As many as 3,200 mine workers became trapped in the in Elandsrand mine, a gold mine in South Africa about 50 miles (80 km) west of Johannesburg in Carletonville, Gauteng, after an incident on October 3. All miners have been rescued, and none of them were injured. The mine is owned by Harmony Gold Mining Corporation.

The mining company says that a lift electrical cable broke on a basket that was carrying miners, trapping thousands at least 2,200 meters (1.3 miles) below the earth's surface. Reports from ''MSNBC'' and the ''Guardian Unlimited'' say that the shaft may have collapsed when a water or air pipe burst. The rescue operation went well with no complications, with the rescue taking just under 24 hours to complete.

"They were underground when the accident happened and they were not able to surface because an electric feeder cable that is connected to the mine lift was severed," said a spokeswoman for the mining company, Amelia Soares. The snap was caused by a "fatigued" air pipe which burst and fell down the shaft damaging the "steelwork and electrical feeder cords," added Soares. "They are all in good condition."

"They are all safe. There have been no injuries or deaths," said CEO of Harmony mining, Graham Briggs who also said that the miners were previously contacted and were given "food and water."

Earlier reports had stated that Lesiba Seshoka, a spokesman with the National Union of Mineworkers, said that the miners have not been heard from for hours and that they could have been enduring temperatures as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

"This is a terrible situation. The only exit is blocked, probably by a fall of ground," said Seshoka.

Rescue workers used a mine shaft that is next to the damaged one in an attempt to reach the trapped miners, and lifted them out, 75 at a time. There was no emergency exit in the shaft which is reported to have "not been maintained for ages," added Seshoka.

"An escape route is the most important thing and they have failed miserably. They need to ensure that the shaft is maintained. This is why we have this disaster. Our main worry is for more than 3,000 people who are underground," said National Union of Mineworkers for S. Africa chairman, Deon Boqwana.

Current reports say that "negligence" was the initial cause for the pipe burst and that there has been a history of negligence from the mine. "We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks," said the President of the Miners union, Senzeni Zokwana to reporters during a news conference.

The Elsrand mine is currently under development and has been since February 2001 when Harmony bought the mine. Officials state that the mine will remain closed for a minimum of six weeks, while an investigation is performed, and the mine is deemed safe for miners to continue working in it.

The mine is located in the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa, which is said to be the location of the largest area of raw gold on the planet.