Stilfontein, North West – A chilling post-mortem report has revealed the horrifying truth behind the deaths of scores of illegal miners, known as Zama Zamas, trapped in abandoned mine shafts near Stilfontein in South Africa’s North West Province.
The report, presented to the media on Monday, 13 January, by the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua), unequivocally states that the miners perished from starvation and hunger. This grim finding casts a harsh light on the desperate conditions faced by those still trapped underground and throws into sharp relief the accusations of inhumane treatment levelled against the authorities.
The report, coupled with footage secretly filmed by miners still underground and released on Friday, 10 January, paints a picture of unimaginable suffering. The footage, while withheld from the public by police citing ongoing investigations, purportedly shows a grim pile of bodies, a testament to the scale of the tragedy. These Zama Zamas are mainly made up of thousands of undocumented migrants from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, although it is estimated that about 10% of the Zama Zamas are South Africans.
Community leader, Thembile Botman, confirmed the post-mortem findings, stating unequivocally, “We can confirm that all the people have died of hunger and starvation. It’s true that there’s also an issue of cannibalism underground. If you remember, there’s a letter that surfaced saying they are feasting on human flesh because there’s no food.”
This harrowing statement is corroborated by the testimony of a rescued illegal miner who confirmed resorting to cannibalism for survival.
The gravity of the situation has led the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa) president, Mametlwe Sebei, to label the incident the “Stilfontein massacre.” Sebei’s condemnation is scathing, directly accusing the state of actively contributing to the miners’ deaths through the deprivation of food, water, and medical care. He highlighted the critical period of 13 days without food endured by the miners in the three weeks leading up to the crisis.
“The footage shows a pile of human bodies of miners who died needlessly. This is a culmination of policy perused by government in their police operation,” he said, emphasizing the state’s alleged role in this tragedy.
The South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) spokesman, Mzukisi Jam, also voiced his concerns, questioning the government’s response to the crisis.
He stated, “It’s funny to say they do not want to come out, yet we have numbers to show that we have pulled them out. You come and say these people have a way of getting out on their own in a situation where 20 were trying to come out, only four made it to the surface. If the intention of the state was not to make sure these people die here, why did they take so long to come and help?”
Jam’s words highlight the discrepancy between official statements and the reality on the ground, suggesting a lack of urgency and effective intervention from authorities.
Rescue efforts are finally underway at shaft 11, where over 100 bodies remain. Equipment has been deployed, and Daily Sun reporters witnessed the arrival of three pathologist vehicles near the shaft, a grim indication of the scale of the recovery operation. The delay in initiating these efforts is a key point of contention, further fueling accusations of negligence.
Meanwhile, a separate case before the Constitutional Court sheds further light on the horrific conditions underground. Three artisanal miners, recently rescued from abandoned shafts, have provided harrowing accounts to the court, detailing the desperation and suffering experienced by those trapped. The NGO, Macua, is seeking court intervention to hold police and government actors accountable for their alleged role in creating these inhumane conditions. Conversely, government lawyers argue that the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine should bear responsibility for the rescue operation.
Court documents submitted to the Constitutional Court reveal the desperate measures taken by the miners to survive. Those rescued from Shaft 10 at the Buffelsfontein mine recounted resorting to cannibalism to stay alive. These accounts highlight the extreme conditions created by Operation Vala Umgodi, a police operation launched in September that significantly restricted the flow of food and supplies to the miners. While police contend that the miners are engaging in illegal activities and possess the knowledge to escape, community and rights groups strongly denounce the operation as inhumane.
Macua’s case before the Constitutional Court alleges that Operation Vala Umgodi directly caused unnecessary deaths by blocking food supplies. The NGO reports the retrieval of at least nine bodies and the rescue of 34 miners through a makeshift pulley system operated by villagers. This highlights the community’s efforts to alleviate the suffering, contrasting sharply with the perceived inaction of official bodies.
The Macua application to the Constitutional Court centres on the fundamental right to food and life. National administrator Sabelo Mnguni’s court papers urgently request humanitarian aid for those still underground, immediate rescue efforts from government departments and the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, and access for Lawyers for Human Rights to those emerging from the shafts. Mnguni’s statement underscores the urgency of the situation and the potential for further loss of life without immediate intervention.
“The right to access to food and the right to life are of paramount importance and need to be preserved by organs of state. The applicant’s case is simply that, as the applicant’s and community members’ means to feed and rescue the miners have run out, if this honourable court does not intervene the death toll will only increase,” the court papers state.
Supporting Macua’s application are affidavits from three rescued miners: Clement Moeletsi, Setsoto Mashiane, and Tshotleho Ntsokolo. While Mashiane and Ntsokolo’s affidavits confirm the consumption of human flesh for survival, Moeletsi’s affidavit provides a detailed account of the deteriorating conditions underground following the disruption of food supplies. He describes the suffocating environment, the lack of light and fresh air, and the gradual descent into starvation.
“The abrupt termination of supplies left us utterly blindsided, as we had no warning or explanation for why the provision of food, water, medication and other basic supplies had suddenly stopped. The lack of communication added to the distress, leaving us in a state of confusion and desperation as we struggled to survive in increasingly dire conditions.”
Within a month, the miners became desperate, Moeletsi says.
Moeletsi says he went without food and safe drinking water for nearly six weeks, leading him to become “physically and mentally drained”.
“To survive, I resorted to drinking underground water, which had a strong chemical taste. While it kept me alive, it came at a cost. I suffered severe headaches, abdominal pain and what I suspect were symptoms of stomach ulcers, brought on by the water’s contamination.”
Moeletsi tells the court that he saw many miners “wasting away” underground, and argues that the deaths were preventable.
“As days turned to weeks without food, their movements became sluggish, as if every step was an unbearable effort. The fat that once cushioned their frames disappeared, leaving bones painfully visible beneath thinning skin. Faces hollowed out and limbs looked impossibly frail,” Moeletsi says.
He also describes the final moments of those he witnessed dying, saying “they didn’t die with any great commotion, just a quiet surrender as if their bodies had finally given up”.
“It was not an illness that killed them. It was starvation. A cruel, drawn-out death that consumed them piece by piece. This is what I saw underground. This is what we lived through, and this is why, respectfully, no one, despite what they have done, should ever endure such suffering again.”
Moeletsi’s account paints a harrowing picture of miners wasting away, their bodies failing under the strain of prolonged hunger and dehydration. He describes the quiet, undignified deaths of his fellow miners, emphasizing that they died not from illness, but from starvation. He also describes the perilous attempts to escape via “ligaters,” metal rods used for climbing, resulting in fatal falls.
Moeletsi’s account also details the chaotic food distribution in November, where hundreds of emaciated miners fought over scarce rations. He estimates that around 900 miners were present, highlighting the sheer scale of the human suffering. Moeletsi was eventually rescued on 9 December due to his weakened state, only to be arrested and later released on 31 December. His ordeal underscores the systemic failures that led to this tragedy.
The government’s response to the Macua application is one of opposition, arguing that the case should not be heard by the Constitutional Court at this stage. The State Attorney, Kantoro Isaac Chowe, contends that the application lacks exceptional circumstances and criticizes Macua for using “emotionally charged rhetoric.”
Chowe also points to previous high court applications by Macua, suggesting the ConCourt application is an attempt to rectify errors in those previous cases. The State Attorney also raises questions about the legal responsibilities of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, citing a Mine Rescue Services report estimating a R11.3-million cost to rescue the estimated 550 miners still underground. This report also estimates that rescuing all miners could take up to 16 days.
The State Attorney’s letter to Chief Justice Mandisa Maya also indicates that the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine acknowledges its legal duty of care towards the miners but disputes who should bear the financial burden of the rescue operation. The gold mine has also indicated it will oppose the case.
The stark reality revealed by the post-mortem report and the harrowing accounts of surviving miners leaves little room for doubt: the Zama Zamas are dying of hunger. The question now is whether the authorities will finally take decisive action to prevent further loss of life and hold those responsible accountable for this tragic situation. The lack of food, coupled with the conditions described, leaves no doubt that many of these deaths were entirely preventable.
