78 Bodies Found in South African Gold Mine After “Horrific” Crackdown on Illegal Miners
Authorities cut off food and water supplies for months, forcing miners to the surface for arrests.
A total of 78 illegal miners have been recovered dead from a South African gold mine, where police imposed a harsh siege by blocking food and water deliveries for months. The operation has been condemned by trade unions as a “horrific” state crackdown on desperate individuals attempting to survive.
So far, 78 bodies and 166 survivors—some severely malnourished and disoriented—have been extracted during a court-mandated rescue mission that began Monday. Hundreds more miners remain trapped 1.5 miles underground at the Stilfontein mine, located southwest of Johannesburg.
Since August, authorities had cut off food and water to the miners, known as “zama zamas.” It wasn’t until December that a court ruled volunteers could provide essential aid to those trapped below.
“Our mandate is to fight crime, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” said Athlenda Mathe, national spokesperson for the South African police, speaking on-site. “Providing food, water, and supplies would have allowed criminality to thrive.”
The death toll from this operation makes it one of the deadliest crackdowns on illegal miners in recent South African history. As the body count rises, the police and government face increasing criticism. Officials argue that the siege was part of a much-needed action against illegal mining, but trade unions have condemned the response as “state wilful negligence.”
“These miners, many of whom are undocumented and desperate workers from Mozambique and other Southern African countries, were abandoned to die in one of the most horrific displays of state negligence we’ve seen,” the South African Federation of Trade Unions said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in the ruling coalition, called for an independent inquiry on Wednesday, stating the situation at the mine had “spiraled out of control.”
All 166 survivors have been arrested and charged with various offenses, including illegal immigration, trespassing, and illegal mining. Police confirmed that none of the survivors were hospitalized, and all were taken into police custody.
“If you’re able to walk when you come out, they take you straight to jail,” said Mzukisi Jam, a civil rights activist, who has been at the site throughout the rescue.
