Dozens of Dead Miners Found After South Africa Pol...

Dozens of Dead Miners Found After South Africa Police Raid on Illegal Mine

Zim Now Writer

Over 400 illegal miners remain trapped underground in a gold mine in South Africa’s North West Province, two months after a police raid. Footage provided by the miners’ rights group, Mining Affected Communities United in Action, revealed grim scenes, including dozens of bodies and malnourished miners pleading for rescue.

The videos, verified by Reuters, were obtained by MACUA on January 10, after community members restored a pulley system that had been destroyed during the standoff. The footage showed what appeared to be piles of bodies wrapped in plastic sacks at the bottom of the mine shaft and emaciated men with protruding ribs.

South Africa Police Service has yet to comment on the situation. However, Makhosonke Buthelezi, spokesperson for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, confirmed that bodies had been retrieved from the mine but withheld further details pending an official report.

The trapped miners were reportedly searching for leftover gold in the abandoned mine when authorities blocked food and water supplies to force their surrender as part of a crackdown on illegal mining. According to MACUA spokesperson Magnificent Mndebele, the destroyed pulley system had initially been used to deliver supplies and facilitate miners' escape.

“The shaft is two kilometers deep. It’s impossible for people to climb up,” Mndebele said, adding that over 400 miners remain underground.

Authorities, with the support of mine rescue services, have replaced the community-installed pulley system with machinery and are preparing a formal rescue operation.

“The mine rescue services have been contracted by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, and equipment is being set up for a planned rescue this week,” Buthelezi stated.

Illegal mining has long been a challenge in South Africa, with miners, known as “zama zamas,” risking their lives in unsafe, abandoned mines in pursuit of precious metals. The ongoing tragedy highlights the dire conditions and dangers associated with these operations.