JOHANNESBURG — A heartbreaking situation has emerged from South Africa, where a group advocating for miners has reported that over 100 individuals have lost their lives due to possible starvation and dehydration in an abandoned gold mine, after being trapped below ground for several months. The miners were reportedly ensnared while law enforcement attempted to evict them from the site.
According to representatives from the Mining Affected Communities United in Action Group, more than 500 miners are believed to still be trapped underground. Sabelo Mnguni, a spokesperson for the group, mentioned that a cellphone belonging to some rescued miners contained videos depicting numerous corpses wrapped in plastic.
Mnguni stated that at least 100 miners perished in the North West province mine, where police operations started back in November aiming to dislodge them. He indicated that starvation and dehydration might have been the main causes of death. He further noted that since last Friday, 18 bodies had been retrieved from the mine.
Of those, nine bodies were recovered during community-led initiatives on Friday, while another nine were extricated during an official operation on Monday, alongside 26 survivors, Mnguni reported. A police spokesperson confirmed they were in the process of verifying details surrounding the number of bodies and survivors recovered as efforts to rescue the remaining miners continued.
Illegal mining is a significant issue in South Africa, particularly in regions known for gold deposits. Once mining operations become unprofitable, abandoned sites are frequently infiltrated by informal groups looking to salvage whatever deposits remain. The Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, near Stilfontein, has become a focal point of conflict between law enforcement and miners since the initiation of eviction efforts nearly two months ago.
Law enforcement indicated that some miners hesitated to exit the mine out of fear of arrest. However, Mnguni countered their claims, asserting that miners had been stranded underground after police removed their access ropes. The police also severed food supplies to purportedly pressure the miners to leave, a move that faced strong backlash from Mnguni’s organization and others. In December, MACUA successfully petitioned a court to allow food, water, and medical supplies to reach those trapped.
Further scrutiny was directed at the South African government last year when it declined to offer assistance to the miners. Videos released by Mnguni’s organization purportedly show gruesome scenes of bodies and emaciated individuals in cramped mine tunnels, with pleas for help echoing through the darkness.
The mine’s depth, reaching 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) and its complex network of shafts and tunnels contribute to the perilous conditions. Mnguni revealed that a preliminary autopsy on one individual indicated death by starvation. “We believe there are numerous miners who have already died,” he stated, emphasizing the scale of the tragedy.
Typically, these illegal miners, often referred to as “zama zamas,” venture underground for extended periods, carrying limited supplies while relying on surface contacts to deliver essential goods. Mnguni noted that those who have managed escapes often incurred significant risks, navigating through tunnels for days in search of a shaft leading back to freedom.
Law enforcement admitted uncertainty regarding the exact number of illegal miners still present underground but estimated it to be in the hundreds. Officials from both the Ministry of Police and the Ministry of Mineral Resources are scheduled to visit the site as operations to bring remaining miners to the surface continue. Efforts from previous months have seen over 1,500 illegal miners surface from various sites in the North West province.
South African authorities have made long-standing attempts to curb illegal mining operations characterized by violence and affiliations with criminal syndicates. However, Mnguni argued that many of these miners are not criminals but rather former workers seeking to survive following the closure of mines.
“The miners return to the mines out of desperation due to poverty,” Mnguni remarked, shedding light on the socio-economic challenges driving these individuals.
