Community members observed as Senzo Mchunu, the South African police minister, conducted an inspection outside the mineshaft where it is estimated that hundreds of illegal miners are believed to be hiding underground. This follows the police cutting off food and water as part of an operation against illegal miners in Stilfontein, South Africa, on November 15, 2024. — Reuters
Illegal miners at a disused South African shaft are reportedly starving due to police limiting supplies in an effort to force out the hundreds believed to be underground, according to a miner and a community leader who spoke on Sunday. One decomposed body was retrieved from the shaft at Stilfontein, approximately 140km southwest of Johannesburg, last week, raising concerns about the possibility of more casualties.
“There's nothing left for someone to eat, to drink, or anything that can sustain a human being. There is nothing left underground for now,” said 35-year-old miner Ayanda Ndabeni, who was lifted out of the shaft by rope on Friday. Around a dozen individuals have emerged in the past week as authorities intermittently blocked locals from providing food and water in a nearly two-week push to clear the shaft.
A court ordered on Saturday that police must cease all restrictions at the abandoned gold mine shaft, a rough hole in the ground in an open veld area where police were stationed on Sunday to monitor for any further emergences. Locals were able to lower 600 packets of instant porridge and 600 liters of water by rope on Saturday, a move welcomed by community leader Johannes Qankase, who spoke to AFP. This was the first supply since Tuesday, he noted.
“We can save lives because now,” he said. “They must get food, they must get water, they must get their medical pills.” “We've seen from the people who have been resurfacing, they are very weak, they are very dehydrated,” he added. Earlier this week, a local claimed to have been informed that there were around 4,000 miners underground. Police, however, estimated the figure to be in the hundreds.
The response from the authorities has sparked outrage in South Africa, particularly the comments made by Minister of the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who stated on Wednesday: “Honestly, we're not sending help to criminals, we're going to smoke them out.” Thousands of illegal miners, many of whom come from other countries, are said to operate in abandoned mine shafts in South Africa, a country rich in minerals. Locally known as “zama zamas” — meaning “those who try” in Zulu — these miners are a source of frustration for mining companies and are accused of criminal activities by residents.
“We are calling on all those illegal miners to resurface,” said police spokeswoman Brigadier Athlenda Mathe on Sunday. The government has announced plans to assemble a team of mine rescue experts to devise a plan to remove all the miners.
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