Johannesburg – A grim picture is emerging from the North West province in neighbouring South Africa as authorities struggle to identify the bodies of 75 illegal miners recovered from an abandoned mine shaft in Stilfontein.
Adding to the despair, the search and rescue operation for two zama zamas (illegal miners) trapped in a Roodepoort mine has been suspended due to hazardous conditions.
The bodies, badly decomposed, were retrieved from Buffelsfontein Gold Mine Shaft 11 in Stilfontein. Two additional miners died later in hospital, bringing the total number of deaths to 80. Despite authorities’ appeals, only 18 families have come forward to assist in the identification process.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone stated on Monday, “A total of 18 samples have been taken since the beginning of the identification process last week.” While DNA samples have been obtained from these families, all from Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Malawi, it is yet to be confirmed if they are related to any of the deceased. The families came forward after authorities announced plans to bury the unknown bodies as paupers.
Mokgwabone urged those who haven’t heard from their next of kin, particularly those who were working in and around Khuma and Stilfontein as illegal miners, to contact the investigating team at the Stilfontein police station on 13 and 14 February between 08:00 and 15:00. He added that those who come forward are requested to bring official identification for DNA sampling.
Police revealed the horrific conditions endured by the illegal miners, known as zama zamas, including torture, assault, and starvation, even though large quantities of food were lowered into the shaft.
Last week, Health Department MEC Sello Lehari announced that out of the 80 bodies, only five had been positively identified. Initially, it was reported that two of these bodies were South African nationals, who have now been identified and returned to their families.
Meanwhile, in Gauteng’s Roodepoort, the families of two illegal miners trapped at Rand Lease Mine remain hopeful despite the Emergency Management Services (EMS) suspending the search and rescue operation until further notice.
The two zama zamas have been trapped underground since Saturday, 8 February, and were heard shouting for help on Sunday, 9 February. The oxygen levels in the mine are allegedly dangerously low, at about 14%.
A distraught woman, whose husband remains trapped underground, refused to speak to the media, overwhelmed with grief.
Zibuse Memela, the chairman of the Jerusalem informal settlement, told Daily Sun that this is not the first time miners from their community have attempted to access that particular shaft.
“They tried several times and failed. They tried again this weekend, and after two had gone down, they realised they couldn’t make it up. I’m told other illegal miners tried to rescue them, but it was impossible. That’s when I was informed, and the police were notified,” he said.
EMS spokesman Robert Mulaudzi addressed the media, explaining that the search and rescue operation was called off for now due to safety concerns.
“We went down 70 metres; we reached the platform where there’s a hole leading to makeshift stairs, but that area is extremely dangerous for the rescuers, which led to the decision to terminate the operation. We are looking at other options to see if we can access the site using different routes, but with the maps we have, that’s the only area we can safely enter,” he said.
Mulaudzi further said, “We’ve been told we might get further information from the community, so for now, we’ve decided to stop. We will try to find another way to locate the other manhole that they might have been using, and from there, we can assess if we can access the same shaft from the other side.”
Mulaudzi further said that during their operation on Monday, 10 February, no voices from the trapped miners were detected underground.
“At the moment, there’s no response or any voices like we heard yesterday when we were here. We couldn’t reach their location because of the obstruction, which is also dangerous for the rescuers. We don’t know what might happen if we attempt to push through that area,” he said.
