The crisis at a disused gold mine in Stilfontein, North West, which has dragged on for months, has tested the ability of the government to curb illegal mining through Operation Vala Umgodi.. (File photo AP)
Continued efforts to clear illegal miners from the abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, North West, led to 60 bodies and 106 survivors being brought to the surface after two days of intensive operations, police confirmed on Wednesday.
“On day two of operations, a total of 106 illegal miners were retrieved alive and arrested for illegal mining. Fifty-one were certified dead,” police said.
Nine bodies were recovered the previous day.
Authorities remain uncertain how many miners are still trapped underground but estimate the number to be in the hundreds.
Of the 106 miners arrested, police identified 67 as Mozambicans, 26 as Lesotho nationals, 11 as Zimbabweans, and two as South Africans.
Efforts to force the miners out by cutting off food and water supplies from the surface were halted in November after a court order deemed the practice unlawful.
From August 2024 to 12 January 2025, police arrested 1,576 miners, including 997 Mozambicans, 427 Zimbabweans, 118 Basotho nationals, 21 South Africans, one Malawian, and one Congolese.
Of these, 1540 remain in police custody.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, 46 individuals have been convicted of illegal mining, trespassing, and immigration violations, with courts handing down R12,000 fines or six-month suspended sentences.
To date, 121 miners, including 80 Mozambicans, 30 Basotho nationals, 10 Zimbabweans, and one Malawian, have been deported.
Authorities have confiscated over 640 kilograms of gold-bearing material, 6.2 kilograms of refined gold, explosives, firearms, and R52.49 million in cash since operations began.
Police and rescue teams are using a metal cage lowered into the mine to recover both survivors and bodies from depths exceeding two kilometers. The process is expected to take several more days.
Minerals and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe, who visited the site on Tuesday, said that the illegal gold trade is driven by those profiting from the miners’ labour.
“These foot soldiers are taking gold to somebody. That somebody must take responsibility,” Mantashe said. “Those who make money out of gold mining must take full responsibility for the risks taken.”