By : Lloyd Mahachi

Rescuers have successfully retrieved several illegal miners and a number of bodies from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa. A professional mine rescue company sent a large cage into the mine shaft near Stilfontein, about 140km southwest of Johannesburg, on Monday. The rescue operation is ongoing, with reports suggesting that hundreds of miners may still be trapped underground.

According to Mzukisi Jam, of the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO), the rescue machine has been working effectively, bringing up seven people so far. At least four bodies have also been retrieved, according to community leader Johannes Qankase. The exact number of bodies recovered is still unclear, but it is believed to be in the dozens.

Sabelo Mnguni, a spokesman for the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) group, revealed that a mobile phone sent to the surface with some rescued miners on Friday had two videos on it showing dozens of bodies underground wrapped in plastic. Mnguni estimated that a minimum of 100 men had died in the mine, with many suspected to have starved to death or died of dehydration.

The miners are believed to have been trapped underground for several months, with police first launching an operation in November to force the miners out of the illegal operation. However, the miners refused to come out, fearing arrest. MACUA’s Mnguni claimed that police had removed ropes and a pulley system the miners had used to climb into and out of the mine, leaving them trapped.

The mine has been the scene of a standoff between police and miners, with authorities attempting to seal the mine and the miners refusing to leave. MACUA won a court case in December, ordering police and provincial authorities to allow food, water, and medicine to be sent down to the miners.

Illegal mining is a common problem in South Africa, where companies often close down mines that are no longer profitable, leaving groups of informal miners to illegally enter them to find leftover deposits. Large groups of illegal miners often go underground for months, taking food, water, power generators, and other equipment with them.

Police have expressed uncertainty about the exact number of illegal miners remaining underground, but estimates suggest it could be in the hundreds. South African authorities have long attempted to crack down on illegal mining gangs, known as “zama zamas,” which are often violent, armed, and part of criminal syndicates.

MACUA’s Mnguni argued that the trapped miners were not criminals, but rather former mine employees who had been put out of work when mines closed and were left desperate. “The miners go back to the mine because they live in poverty,” he said. The rescue operation is ongoing, with hopes that all survivors will be brought out of the mine safely.

Editor : Josephine Mahachi