An estimated 4,000 gold miners are hiding underground in South Africa after the government cut off food and water in an attempt to “smoke out” and arrest them.
The miners have been working in the mine pit in Stilfontein, North West province for about a month.
They have refused to cooperate with the authorities as some are illegal – from neighboring countries such as Lesotho and Mozambique – and fear deportation.
Illegal miners are called “zama zama” (take a chance in Zulu) and they work in abandoned mines in the mineral-rich country. Illegal mining costs the South African government hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales each year.
Many mines in South Africa have been closed in recent years and workers have been laid off.
To survive, miners and undocumented migrants go underground to escape poverty and mine gold to sell on the black market.
Some spend months underground – there is even a small economy of people selling food, tobacco and cooked food to the miners.
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WATCH: The dangerous world of illegal mining in South Africa
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South African miner fears for his life in 'hostage situation'
Residents of the area have appealed to the authorities to help the miners but they refused.
“We will smoke them and they will come out. We do not send help to criminals. Criminals are not helped – they are persecuted. [sic],” said Minister in the Office of the President Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Wednesday.
The police are reluctant to enter the mine as it is possible that some underground people are armed.
Others are part of gangs or “recruited” to be part of them, Busi Thabane, of the Benchmarks Foundation, a charity that monitors South African companies, told the BBC's NewsDay.
Without access to resources, underground conditions are said to be dire.
“There is no more talk of illegal miners – this is a people's problem,” Ms Thabane said.
On Thursday, community leader Thembile Botman told the BBC that volunteers used ropes and seat belts to pull the body out of the mine.
“The smell of rotting corpses left the volunteers traumatized,” he said.
It is not clear how the person died.
Although the authorities were withholding food and water, they allowed local residents to send other items by cable.
Mr Botman said they had been communicating with the miners through notes written on paper.
The police blocked the entrances and exits in order to force the miners to leave.
This is part of Vala Umgodi, or “Close the Hole”, an operation to stop illegal mining.
Five miners were pulled out by rope on Wednesday, but they were weak and powerless. The paramedics took care of them, and they were detained by the police.
Last week, 1,000 miners came forward and were arrested.
The police and the army are still at the scene waiting to detain those who do not need medical help after they reappear.
“It is not as easy as the police make it seem – some of them fear for their lives,” said Ms Thabane.
Many miners spend months underground in unsafe conditions to support their families.
For many of them, it is the only way they can put food on the table,” said Ms. Thabane.
Local residents wait near the mineshaft in Stilfontein [AFP]
Local residents also tried to convince the miners to leave the mine.
“Those people must leave because we have brothers there, we have sons there, the fathers of our children are there, our children are struggling,” local resident Emily Photsoa told AFP.
The South African Human Rights Commission says it will investigate the police for depriving miners of food and water.
It said there is concern that the government's performance may have an impact on the right to life.
Minister Ntshavheni's speech has caused mixed opinions among South Africans as some praise the government's unchanging approach.
“I love this. Finally, our government is not moving on these critical issues. Making decisions will help this country,” another person wrote on X.
While others felt that this situation was inhumane.
“In my opinion, this speech by the Minister in the President's Office is disgraceful and a dangerous hate speech,” said one of the users.
Another wrote: “They are criminals but they have rights too.”
Illegal mining is a profitable business in many of South Africa's mining towns.
Since December last year, nearly 400 high-class firearms, thousands of bullets, rough diamonds and cash have been seized from illegal miners.
This is part of a strong campaign by the police and the military to stop this practice which has a huge impact on the environment.
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