"Surrender or Starve": The Human Toll of South Africa's Mining Crackdown
Government crackdown leaves atleast 78 miners dead
In the past week, a devastating incident has unfolded in South Africa, exposing the grim realities of illegal mining and the government’s controversial response. At least 78 bodies have been recovered from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, located in the country’s northwest.
Unofficial reports suggest that the death toll could exceed 100, with fears that hundreds more may still be trapped underground.
These deaths were not caused by a mining accident in the traditional sense. Instead, they appear to have resulted from aggressive measures employed by the South African government to force miners out of the shafts—a tactic described by a minister last November as an effort to "smoke them out."
The measures included cutting off food and water supplies to the miners, effectively starving them so they would emerge and face arrest for illegal mining.
The government has defended its actions, insisting that the miners were “criminals who must be prosecuted” and arguing that “we didn’t send them there.”
The miners, known locally as zama zamas—a Zulu term meaning "those who take a chance"—enter abandoned gold mines searching for untapped deposits. South Africa is home to approximately 6,000 disused mines, and for many battling extreme poverty, these dangerous ventures represent a desperate gamble for a change in fortunes.
At least 2,000 zama zamas were inside the Stilfontein mine when police began their crackdown in August last year. In addition to blocking supplies, the police dismantled ropes and pulley systems used by miners to climb in and out of the shafts, rights groups claim.
Police officers were stationed at the mine’s entrances day and night to ensure no supplies could be sent underground. While authorities have stated that some exits remained open for miners to climb out, rights groups contend that these were too far apart for many miners to reach—especially as their physical condition deteriorated due to starvation and dehydration. The strategy became one of “surrender or starve.”
In October, a court ordered police to allow local communities to send down limited supplies and pull some miners out using ropes. These efforts were inadequate. Community members lacked the infrastructure and capacity to provide sufficient food or rescue all those trapped underground.
In November, a dead body was sent up from the mine as a grim signal of worsening conditions below. Still, no large-scale evacuation was planned by authorities. The situation reached a breaking point in January when videos emerged showing corpses wrapped in makeshift body bags inside the mine.
NGOs initiated legal action against the government, and as part of the case, a recently rescued miner filed an affidavit describing how dire conditions had forced those underground to “eat cockroaches and human flesh.”
Following a court directive, the government finally launched a rescue operation last week. A specialist mining rescue company was brought in to deploy a cage capable of descending into the 2.5-kilometer-deep shaft.
Volunteers from local communities joined the effort, going into the mine to bring out both survivors and bodies. The operation lasted four days and resulted in 246 miners being rescued alive while 78 bodies were recovered.
“What I experienced in that shaft was very traumatic. It smelled terrible in there [because of decomposing bodies]—it was hot and there was no refrigeration. With those who were still alive, you could see that if we had not come to rescue them, they would have died. They [the miners] told us they were eating cockroaches and human flesh that they were told was pork. Every time I came out of that shaft, I was so down, but we had to be strong for the miners,” one volunteer told Daily Maverick.
Those who survived were immediately arrested by police on charges of illegal mining and immigration violations. Most of them were undocumented migrants from neighbouring countries like Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho—individuals who had sought economic opportunities in South Africa but found themselves trapped in exploitative conditions.
Authorities also claimed to have arrested an alleged "kingpin" believed to be responsible for torture and deaths underground—a Lesotho national said to control operations within the mine. However, shortly after his arrest, reports emerged that he had escaped police custody. A “manhunt” is now underway.
Illegal Mining: A Widespread Crisis
The tragedy at Stilfontein is emblematic of South Africa’s broader illegal mining crisis. Analysts estimate that around 30,000 zama zamas operate across the country’s abandoned mines, producing roughly 10% of South Africa’s gold output.
Illegal mining has flourished over recent decades as many industrial mines have been exhausted or shut down due to declining profitability. In theory, mine owners are required to seal off sites once operations cease. In practice, this often does not happen.
Of South Africa’s 6,000 disused gold mines, many remain accessible through unsecured openings or shafts—providing entry points for zama zamas. These sites are frequently controlled by violent criminal syndicates who exploit them while profiting from illicit gold smuggling networks.
For zama zamas, illegal mining is not just a livelihood but often a last resort amid extreme poverty and unemployment. Many are undocumented migrants who risk everything for a chance at survival but find themselves at the bottom of a complex hierarchy involving armed gangs, corrupt officials, and international buyers.
The work itself is gruelling and perilous. Miners descend deep into abandoned shafts without proper equipment or safety measures, exposing themselves to risks such as cave-ins, toxic gas leaks, and violent confrontations with rival gangs or law enforcement. Many live underground for weeks or months at a time with only smuggled supplies or scavenged resources for sustenance.
Tragedies are common in this shadow economy. In 2023, 31 miners died in a methane explosion inside another abandoned mine.
A Failure to Learn Lessons
Despite repeated incidents like Stilfontein’s tragedy, it remains unclear whether South Africa’s government has learned any lessons or plans to address illegal mining at its roots.
The punitive measures employed thus far—such as sealing shafts or arresting zama zamas—have done little to deter illegal activity, while creating additional humanitarian crises.
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https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/02/27/the-dystopian-underworld-of-south-africas-illegal-gold-mines