At least 100 illegal miners have died of suspected starvation and dehydration after being trapped underground for months in an abandoned gold mine in North West province, South Africa.
The group ‘Mining Affected Communities United in Action’ (MACUA) revealed this on Monday, claiming that over 500 miners remain trapped in what has become a humanitarian crisis.
MACUA’s spokesperson, Sabelo Mnguni, told Associated Press that two cellphone videos retrieved from the mine showed dozens of bodies wrapped in plastic and emaciated men pleading for food and rescue. “This is hunger. People are dying because of hunger,” a man can be heard saying in the video.
The miners were trapped in the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine near Stilfontein following a standoff with police that began in November, 2024.
Police had launched an operation to force the miners, known as zama zamas (Zulu for “hustlers”), out of the mine.
The police reportedly removed the ropes used by the miners to enter, exit and cut off their food supplies, leaving them stranded underground.
“Police removed their ropes, and that’s how they got trapped. A minimum of 100 men have died so far,” said Mnguni.
He added that 18 bodies have been recovered since Friday, nine through a community-led effort and nine in an official rescue operation.
The cellphone footage showed miners in dire conditions, sitting in damp, dark tunnels.
One video reportedly captured emaciated men alongside bodies, with the videographer pleading, “Please help us. Bring us food or take us out.”
Mnguni said a preliminary autopsy on a recovered body confirmed starvation as the cause of death.
He estimated that the number of deaths could rise significantly as miners are scattered across the vast, labyrinthine mine, which extends 2.5 kilometers deep with multiple shafts and tunnels.
Authorities resumed rescue operations on Monday, bringing 26 survivors to the surface. Police spokesperson Brig. Sebata Mokgwabone said efforts were ongoing to account for the trapped miners, adding that delegations from the ministries of police and mineral resources will visit the site on Tuesday.
The situation drew widespread criticism. In December, MACUA won a court order compelling police to allow food, water, and medicine to be sent down to the miners.
However, Mnguni said that order was not adequately enforced.
Illegal mining is a longstanding issue in South Africa, especially in abandoned mines where jobless former miners, like those at Buffelsfontein, search for gold deposits to survive.
While zama zamas were often linked to violent criminal syndicates, Mnguni emphasised that these miners were not criminals but desperate individuals.
“The miners go back to the mine because they live in poverty,” he said.
Police efforts to crack down on illegal mining led to the arrest of over 1,500 zama zamas across North West province last year.
However, critics argued that the government failed to address the root causes of the crisis – poverty and unemployment in mining communities.
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