South Africa: Households of Miners Trapped Since November Beg for Again

Authorities snort it’s some distance simply too unhealthy to inch down the Krugersdorp mine

Ten informal miners had been trapped in an ragged Krugersdorp gold mine for five months after they had been lower off by rising water. No-one knows if they’re ineffective or alive.

The ten miners had been trapped days after descending 50 metres into an ragged shaft subsequent to the Amatshe mine with seven others on 22 November final Twelve months. An underground movement lower them off from the shaft. Three managed to flee, and 4 died in the strive. The closing 10 had been trapped when a tunnel collapsed.

Nkosinathi Maisa, who managed to flee, informed GroundUp a day after they descended, fellow miner Calton Vundla determined to exit and seek food, and chanced on the water in the movement had risen and it was sophisticated to imperfect.

Maisa said the team waited for two days hoping the water would move, nevertheless it saved rising. He said he suspects water might per chance per chance per chance also need been purposefully pumped in.

He said the miners tried to attain an flee route by opening a tunnel, “but it collapsed between the ten people in front and the seven of us who were behind”.

“We couldn’t re-open the way. We never saw or heard from the other group again,” said Maisa.

As days went by, food began working out and torch batteries had been working low. On 5 December, he and any other miner efficiently swam out to get back, nevertheless they had been not succesful of rescue the others without upright equipment. Maisa said a third miner managed to furthermore make it out later.

“I’m grateful that I was able to see my wife and children again,” said Maisa, who’s a driller and labored at Blanket Mine in Bulawayo five years previously. He moved to South Africa after his contract ended.

Gezephi Vundla said she seen her son, Calton Vundla, 24, temporarily when she visited him in Soweto the day he went into the mine. Vundla said Calton said nothing about going down the mine nevertheless a couple of days later she heard her son was trapped underground.

“All I want is to be able to get him out of that mine,” she said.

Vundla and varied kinfolk of the ten trapped miners dangle sought again from the police, the Department of Mineral Property and Vitality (DMRE), the Zimbabwean consulate, and civic organisations. Lawyers for Human Rights has furthermore tried to intervene on their behalf.

Calton’s uncle, Thembani Dube, said police and officials from the Department of Mineral Property and Vitality (DMRE) had assessed the difficulty and declared the shaft unsafe for rescuers or scuba divers.

And not utilizing a official again, the families got again from varied informal miners who went into the shaft on a rescue mission in December. They chanced on four ineffective our bodies nevertheless had been not succesful of accept to the build the closing 10 other folks had been trapped.

“We must get help to get the miners out, whether they are alive or not,” said Dube.

Lawyers for Human Rights attorney Louise du Plessis said plans to clutch the matter to court docket had been halted after the DMRE and police launched a rescue mission was too unhealthy.

On 20 December, du Plessis wrote to the owners of Amatshe Mine, which has began expanding operations out of doors the shaft the build the informal miners are trapped, asking for again.

“Any mine has various obligations in terms of both the Mine Health and Safety Act and the regulations to ensure the safety and well-being of any person in their mine. Four people have already died due to water being pumped into the shaft, despite knowing there were people inside,” the letter learn.

Du Plessis said there had been no response from the mine.

The CEO of Amatshe Mining, Eddie Milne, informed GroundUp he had “never been engaged by any families and authorities associated with illegal miners stuck underground and requesting assistance in recovering any bodies”.

No again to be chanced on

Krugersdorp Police spokesperson Brigadier Comfortable Xaba said in December 2024, police had chanced on three decomposing our bodies wrapped in white plastic sacks on the corner of Paardekraal and Windsor Roads.

“There were papers written next to each body with cellphone numbers. It seems as if the deceased drowned in water,” said Xaba. “After some time, there were allegations that there were more bodies trapped underneath. There was no one prepared to come forward to confirm the allegations.”

Maisa said four our bodies had been recovered from the mine and he concept the fourth body had been taken away by household before police arrived.

Xaba said District Police Commissioner had held conferences with the Price for Human Rights and Methodist Minister Paul Verryn. The scheme commander had furthermore attended conferences, including with the Zimbabwean consulate, as most of the folk trapped had been concept to be Zimbabweans.

“We were explaining the same thing: that the police cannot lead the recovery operation underground, especially when it is not safe,” said Xaba. He said the final assembly was on 12 March on the DMRE offices in Braamfontein. “All stakeholders were there when DMRE explained that the operation is not possible.”

Verryn confirmed that he had attended conferences with kinfolk, police and the DMRE, and the conclusion was that nothing will seemingly be done to again. Lawyers for Human Rights furthermore did their handiest to intervene in the matter, he said. He said he had asked the Human Rights Price to analysis.

Milne said the trapped miners had “accessed historical underground workings illegally”.

He said Amatshe “would not be involved in any form”, as “the operations were of an illegal manner specific to a shaft and historical holing that was previously closed by the DMRE”.

Pressed on allegations that Amatshe had pumped water into the shaft by design of which the informal miners had been working, he said: “Please note I do not have any further comment to make … it seems you do not understand the fact that illegal mining remains illegal mining.”

He added: “Please ask yourself where Amatshe Mining would find the water to pump into the mine and or shaft and or tunnel … Mines usually pump water out of underground workings to specifically stop flooding.”

The DMRE had not answered to GroundUp’s questions by the time of e-newsletter.