South Africa: more than 100 miners stranded in gold mine die from starvation

“According to miners who resurfaced on Wednesday in shaft number 10 of the gold mine, 109 miners died due to lack of food and water,” said the spokesperson for the gold mine. ‘Organization, Mzukisi Jam.

Noting that volunteers resumed sending supplies on Thursday, he said rescue efforts have continued since November, as law enforcement agencies have stepped up operations to combat illegal mining as part of Operation “Vala Umgodi”.

“Despite these efforts, hundreds of miners still remain underground,” Mr Jam said, adding that the mine has three main entry and exit points: Margaret Shaft, Buffelsfontein 10 Shaft and Buffelsfontein 11 Shaft. .

The human rights group “Communities Affected by Mining” recently approached South Africa’s Constitutional Court in an attempt to force the police and government to provide food and supplies to stranded miners .

Read also: South Africa: arrest of more than 500 illegal miners deprived of water and food

The organization has expressed serious concerns about conditions underground, including reporting cases of severe starvation and allegations of cannibalism. She said hundreds of illegal miners, stuck for two months in the Stilfontein mine, are resorting to cannibalism, being forced to feed on the corpses of their deceased colleagues to survive.

“The latest reports from miners trapped underground indicate that the situation has further deteriorated to the point that some miners had to feed on the flesh of those who ended up starving to death,” the group said in a report filed with the Constitutional Court.

Some miners died and many others were able to leave the mine, where some tunnels were blocked by police to force illegal miners, called Zama Zama, to the surface. The gold mine reaches up to 2 km deep.

The advocacy group believes the state’s refusal to rescue the minors contravened its legal mandate. “Hundreds of people remain stranded and face starvation and imminent death,” he warned. The miners, who have been working underground for months, have faced a severe lack of food and water after police blocked supplies in an attempt to force them out.

Many zama zamas refused to return for fear of being arrested after police operations in the region.