South Africa’s mining sector continues to face persistent risks associated with seismicity, rock mass instability and complex human–system interactions, particularly in ultra-deep operations. These conditions place Falls of Ground (FoG) among the leading contributors to fatalities and high-potential incidents. In response, the industry has adopted Khumbul’ekhaya 2.0, a leadership-driven safety and health strategy focused on accelerating progress towards Zero Harm. The term ‘Khumbul’ekhaya’, meaning ‘Remember Home’ in isiZulu, reinforces the industry’s commitment that every worker must return home safely. The strategy is structured around five pillars, namely Visible Felt Leadership, Critical Control Management, Data 4.0, Mental Health and Fatigue Management, and Innovation and Shared Learning. This paper examines how Khumbul’ekhaya 2.0 provides the strategic and cultural foundation within which proven engineering controls, such as in-stope netting and permanent workface areal mesh, can deliver measurable reductions in fatal risk. The Minerals Council South Africa’s MOSH (Mining Industry Occupational Safety and Health) source mine report and adoption guide found that 52 of 64 assessed FoG accidents, representing 81 per cent, occurred at the workface, confirming that the workface remains the dominant location of exposure and therefore the critical point for intervention. Case study evidence demonstrates measurable safety benefits. Masimong Mine reported a 30 per cent reduction in FoG accidents following implementation of permanent workface areal mesh, while Mponeng Mine reported a 20 per cent reduction in FoG accidents in the first year, an 18 per cent reduction in reportable FoG injuries in the second year, and a reduction in incident rate from a five-year average of 1.4 to 1.0 in 2022. The paper also incorporates ultra-deep seismic case studies in which correctly installed in-stope netting prevented fatalities during a Ml 1.3 event with a peak particle velocity of 146.9 mm/s and a Ml 1.4 event with a peak particle velocity of 275.9 mm/s. These cases strengthen the argument that areal support functions as a high-value barrier when designed, installed and verified to standard. The findings show that the integration of leadership, critical control management, engineering discipline and leading indicators offers important learnings for the South African mining industry and for underground hard rock operations internationally (Minerals Council South Africa, 2023; Minerals Council South Africa, 2026).