Disturbing videos have surfaced showing the dire conditions faced by illegal miners living underground in a disused gold mine in South Africa. The miners, reportedly trapped since last year (2024), are believed to have been living there, following a crackdown on illicit mining.
A long-delayed rescue operation, which a court ordered the Government to facilitate last week, began on Monday January 13. The authorities had initially blocked food and water supplies to the miners, arguing that they had entered the shaft without permission. In November 2024, one Government minister stated: «We are going to smoke them out».
More than 100 “zama zamas” – as the illegal miners are known – have reportedly died underground, though the authorities have yet to verify this figure.
In the footage shared by the General Industries Workers of South Africa (GIWUSA), a union representing the miners, dozens of shirtless men are seen sitting on a dirty floor. A voice off-camera says the men are hungry and in desperate need of help. The union claims that 96 miners have died due to hunger, urging for immediate aid and supplies.
The rescue operation involves lowering a cage down the mine shaft to bring miners back to the surface. The cage, designed to hold six or seven people, has been descending about 2km every hour.
By the end of Monday, 26 miners had been rescued, along with nine bodies. The Department of Mineral Resources, which is leading the operation, has not confirmed whether priority will be given to retrieving the bodies or miners in need of medical care. A briefing with the Police ministry is scheduled for this Tuesday January 14 to provide an update on the situation.