Dozens of survivors and dead pulled from abandoned South African mine: NPR

STILFONTEIN, South Africa — Months after South African authorities initially cut off supplies to miners working illegally at an abandoned gold mine, rescuers on Tuesday brought dozens of bodies and emaciated survivors to the surface, and hundreds more are believed to still be underground, many of whom are dead and others too weak to make it out on their own.

At least 60 bodies and 92 survivors have been pulled from one of South Africa’s deepest mines since Monday in a red, cage-shaped machine lowered thousands of feet underground, police said. Police aren’t sure how many juveniles remain inside, but they estimate it’s likely in the hundreds. Nine more bodies were removed Friday in a community-led rescue operation, according to a group representing the miners.

The mine has been the scene of a tense clash between police, miners and members of the local community since authorities launched an operation in November to force the miners out by cutting off their food and water. the surface for a while. At the time, a minister said the aim was to “scare them away” and that the government would not send aid because they were “criminals”.

But this tactic has been heavily criticized by civic groups and the community, and the South African government is under scrutiny for how it handled the problem at the Buffelsfontein gold mine, where more than 100 miners are believed to have died from hunger underground. or dehydration, depending on the group representing them.

Authorities, who removed the ropes and pulley system used by miners to enter and lower supplies, say survivors are able to get out but refuse to do so for fear of arrest. This was contested by civic groups, who won a lawsuit to force authorities to allow food, water and medicine to be sent to minors. But they say supplies aren’t enough and many miners are starving and can’t get out because the shaft is too steep.

Desperate residents

I was waiting for news from family members gathered Tuesday at the mine, near the town of Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, some holding signs criticizing authorities for their response. A sign said there had been a “sacrifice in Stilfontein”, while some handcuffed survivors were led away in a line by police.

The community staged its own rescue operation on Friday before official efforts by authorities began on Monday. They say a real rescue operation should have been launched months ago.

“We are happy that this operation is taking place, although we believe that if it had been carried out earlier, we would not even have a single death,” said Mzukisi Jam, regional president of the South African National Organization for civics, an organization that brings together civic and rights groups.

Authorities have been grappling with informal mining for years

Illegal mining is common in some gold-rich areas of South Africa, where companies close mines that are no longer profitable, leaving groups of informal miners to enter illegally in search of remaining deposits.

Large groups of miners often spend months underground to maximize their profits, taking with them food, water, generators and other equipment, but also relying on other members of their group above ground to send more supplies.

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe visited the site on Tuesday and said more than 1,500 miners who resurfaced from the Buffelsfontein mine have been arrested since authorities launched a wider crackdown on the illegal mining by the end of 2023. He said the vast majority were foreign nationals from neighboring countries.

Police also reiterated their claim that miners who are still underground are not coming out because they are afraid of being arrested.

Activists said the only way out for miners was to make a dangerous journey to another shaft, which can take days, and crawl there, but many are too weak or too ill to get out. . The mine is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) deep and has several shafts, numerous levels and a maze of tunnels. The group representing the miners said there are numerous groups in various parts of the mine.

“The last time I spoke to my brother was in July, when he told us he was going underground,” said Zinzi Tom, the sister of one of the miners who remained underground. “We hadn’t heard from him, but yesterday one of the miners who surfaced said they saw him about two weeks ago. Apparently he is very sick and struggling to survive.”

Cell phone videos emerge from underground

The group Mining Affected Communities United in Action, which sued authorities in December to force them to allow supplies to be sent to miners, released two cellphone videos that they said came from the underground and showed dozens of corpses of miners wrapped in bags. plastic. A spokesperson for the group said “at a minimum” 100 miners had died.

The cellphone videos, purportedly taken from deep within the mine, are filmed by a man who can be heard saying: “It’s hunger. People are dying from hunger,” as he films emaciated-looking men sitting on the damp mine floor. He adds: “Please help us. Bring us food or take us out.”

The rescue operation will continue for 10 days and authorities will then reassess their situation, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said. Police also said survivors who were brought to the surface would be arrested and charged with illegal mining and trespassing after receiving medical treatment.

Authorities made their approach clear when South African Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters in November that the government would not help miners, whom they view as criminals.

“We don’t send aid to criminals,” she said. “We’ll smoke them out. They’ll come out.”

She added: “Criminals must not be helped. Criminals must be persecuted. »