Rockfall Traps Illegal Miners as 14 Die in South Africa

(Abulance Leaves The Mine. Photo by The Jerusalem Post)

Fourteen unregistered miners have died and eight others sustained serious injuries following a rockfall at an abandoned mine in South Africa.

Provincial police spokeswoman Colonel Adele Myburgh confirmed the fatalities and injuries, noting that officials were still en route to the site and therefore had no information regarding the miners’ identities or nationalities.

The incident occurred near Rustenburg, approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg.

Thousands of unlicensed miners, known as “zama zamas,” operate across South Africa, extracting gold and other valuable minerals from derelict mining operations under extremely difficult and dangerous working circumstances.

These workers originate from across the southern African region, drawn by poverty and lack of employment opportunities.

The informal mining sector has become associated with organised crime, targeted assassinations, extortion and various illicit activities.

Myburgh explained that conditions in abandoned mine shafts present no safety protections whatsoever.

She noted that the structures are severely deteriorated, lacking any functional infrastructure or protective systems.

The rockfall represents one of many hazards inherent to this precarious form of work, where miners venture into disused shafts with minimal regard for structural integrity or worker safety.