100 Illegal Miners Dead, 500 Trapped in South Africa’s Buffelsfontein Mine

At least 100 illegal miners have died from suspected starvation and dehydration after being trapped underground for months in an abandoned gold mine in North West province, South Africa. The tragic event was revealed on Monday by the group Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA), which also reported that more than 500 miners remain trapped in what is now a dire humanitarian crisis.

MACUA spokesperson Sabelo Mnguni told the Associated Press that cellphone videos recovered from the mine showed dozens of bodies wrapped in plastic and emaciated miners pleading for food and rescue. “This is hunger. People are dying because of hunger,” one miner can be heard saying in the video.

The miners, known as zama zamas (Zulu for “hustlers”), were trapped in the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine near Stilfontein following a standoff with police that began in November 2024. Authorities had launched an operation to remove the miners from the site, cutting off their access to food supplies and ropes that allowed them to enter and exit the mine. “Police removed their ropes, and that’s how they got trapped,” Mnguni explained. “A minimum of 100 men have died so far.”

Since Friday, 18 bodies have been recovered, nine through community-led efforts and nine in an official rescue operation. The cellphone footage from the mine showed miners in appalling conditions, sitting in damp, dark tunnels. One video reportedly captured emaciated miners alongside dead bodies, with the videographer pleading, “Please help us. Bring us food or take us out.”

Preliminary autopsies on recovered bodies have confirmed starvation as the cause of death. Mnguni warned that the death toll could rise significantly, as many miners are scattered across the vast, labyrinthine mine, which extends 2.5 kilometers deep and contains multiple shafts and tunnels.

Rescue operations resumed on Monday, bringing 26 survivors to the surface. Police spokesperson Brig. Sebata Mokgwabone confirmed that efforts are ongoing to account for all the trapped miners, with delegations from the ministries of police and mineral resources set to visit the site on Tuesday.

The crisis has drawn widespread criticism, particularly over the government’s handling of the situation. In December, MACUA won a court order compelling the police to allow food, water, and medicine to be sent to the miners, but Mnguni said the order was not adequately enforced.

Illegal mining, especially in abandoned mines like Buffelsfontein, has been a long-standing issue in South Africa. Jobless former miners and others desperate to survive often risk their lives in search of gold deposits. While zama zamas are often linked to violent criminal syndicates, Mnguni emphasized that these miners are not criminals, but simply people driven by poverty.

“The miners go back to the mine because they live in poverty,” he said.

Despite efforts to crack down on illegal mining, with over 1,500 zama zamas arrested across North West province last year, critics argue that the government has failed to address the root causes of the crisis—poverty and unemployment in mining communities.