Two illegal miners were rushed to the hospital after being brought to the surface from an abandoned mine in Stilfontein, North West. These men are among the latest to emerge from a group of miners, estimated to be in the hundreds, who are trapped underground in a disused mine shaft.
The situation has drawn community volunteers to the site, determined to assist in rescue efforts. Meshack Mbangula, the national coordinator for Mining Affected Communities United in Action, confirmed that the rescued men are in stable condition.
“We witnessed volunteers arriving today,” Mbangula reported. “They lowered a rope down the shaft and managed to pull up Mohapi Sello. He’s alive but extremely dehydrated and weak. Efforts are ongoing as the rope is being lowered again to bring up others.”
This incident follows intensified police operations targeting illegal mining networks across South Africa. Authorities have already arrested over a thousand illegal miners, commonly known as “zama zamas.”
Earlier this week, a decomposed body was recovered from the old Buffelsfontein mine in Stilfontein, highlighting the severe risks associated with illegal mining activities in the region.
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