International
Tragedy at South African Mine: 60 dead, hundreds arrested in crackdown on illegal mining
A grim discovery has emerged from a disused gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, where authorities have recovered 60 bodies of illegal miners as part of an ongoing crackdown on illicit mining activities.
The operation, which began on Monday following reports of a potential mass casualty incident, has also led to the arrest of over 100 illegal miners.
“On day two of operations, a total of 106 alive illegal miners were retrieved and arrested for illegal mining. Fifty-one were certified dead,” police confirmed in a statement. Nine bodies were removed the day before.
The mine, located about 140 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, plunges 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) underground. Specialized equipment was deployed to extract both survivors and bodies, with miners and corpses being lifted a few at a time.
The miners, known locally as “zama zamas” — Zulu for “those who try” — are often migrants from neighboring countries. Their desperate search for wealth in abandoned shafts has earned them a reputation for criminality among local residents.
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Despite ongoing efforts, the full scale of the tragedy remains uncertain. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who visited the site on Tuesday, refused to speculate on how many miners might still be trapped underground. “There is no way on earth anyone can come and say: ‘I know for certain that there are so many,’” Mchunu stated. “Every number that we have here is an estimate, is a guess.”
A video shared by the advocacy group Macua showed dozens of bodies wrapped in cloth, lying in the mine’s dark chambers. The group advocates for better treatment and rights for informal miners.
The Stilfontein mine has been at the center of a months-long crackdown on illegal mining. Since August, more than 1,500 illegal miners have been arrested, with 121 deported, according to police. Despite these measures, authorities fear many more miners could still be underground.
Survivors retrieved from the mine appear emaciated, with legs reduced to “skin and bones,” highlighting the harsh conditions they endured. Authorities had previously attempted to starve the miners out by cutting off food and water supplies. However, a court ruling in November ordered police to lift these restrictions, allowing supporters to send provisions down the shaft.
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