Deep beneath South Africa's surface, a humanitarian crisis unfolded in the cramped confines of abandoned mine shafts near Stilfontein. Dozens of men huddled in shallow caves, their living spaces so confined they couldn't stand upright. The air was thick with moisture and the sounds of persistent coughing, while the unmistakable presence of death lingered nearby, where bodies lay wrapped in fabric and twine.
These illegal miners, driven by desperate economic circumstances, faced a harrowing ordeal after police operations cut off their supply lines in an attempt to "smoke them out." Their usual sustenance of meat, bread, and porridge, prepared on propane camp stoves, dwindled to nothing. In their final days underground, some resorted to eating raw salt to stave off hunger.
One survivor, a 40-year-old father of six who emerged on Christmas Day, shared his story with The Associated Press under condition of anonymity. Having entered the mine in July, he witnessed the devastating transformation of their underground world after police intervention began. "By September, things were really bad," he recounted. "People started getting hungry, they started getting sick, some started dying. We started having dead bodies. There is nothing worse than seeing somebody die and there is nothing you can do about it."
The scale of the tragedy became clear when police, acting under court order, finally launched a rescue operation. They recovered dozens of bodies, with at least 87 confirmed deaths. Nearly 2,000 miners have surfaced from the mine since August of the previous year, including 13 children, highlighting the desperate circumstances that drive people to this dangerous work.
The allure of illegal mining is powerful in a country grappling with severe inequality and unemployment. Miners were promised earnings of around $5,300 for a few weeks' work – a substantial sum in South Africa. The industry draws workers not only from local communities but also from neighboring countries like Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, and Congo.
The human cost of this illegal trade extends beyond the miners themselves. Mmastona Mbizana, a resident of Khumo township, saw both her sons drawn into this dangerous world. One was arrested after emerging from the mine, while the other, Lucky, worked as a surface runner, earning $424 monthly to lower supplies to the miners until his arrest.
The illegal mining trade has far-reaching implications for South Africa's economy, reportedly costing the country more than $3 billion last year, according to the mines minister. Communities near the estimated 6,100 disused mines across the country face additional challenges, including violent crime and infrastructure destruction. Residents report hearing gun battles between rival mining groups.
Government officials, while acknowledging the tragedy, maintain their stance against illegal mining. Mines Minister Gwede Mantashe placed responsibility for the deaths on those profiting from the illegal operations. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu announced investigations into the entire value chain of illegal mining, seeking to identify the main beneficiaries of this underground economy.
The Stilfontein tragedy throws into sharp relief the complex intersection of poverty, desperation, and criminality in South Africa's mining sector. While authorities focus on enforcement, the underlying economic conditions that drive people to risk their lives in abandoned mines remain a pressing challenge for the nation.
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