Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities work to bring survivors out of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, where hundreds of illegal miners have been trapped in an abandoned shaft for months. Since Friday, over 24 bodies have been recovered, and 37 survivors have been brought to safety, but civic organizations and miners’ groups believe that more than 500 people remain underground, many suffering from starvation and dehydration.
Police are uncertain of the exact number still trapped, but it is feared that the figure could be in the hundreds. Rescuers have faced significant challenges in the dangerous operation, including delayed starts and equipment issues, but Mannas Fourie, CEO of Mines and Rescue Service, emphasized their determination to continue working into the night. To date, 35 miners have been rescued.
The mine, located near Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, has been at the center of a tense standoff since November when authorities attempted to force the miners to leave. Relatives of the trapped miners claim some have been underground since July, while authorities insist that the miners are refusing to exit, which rights groups dispute. Activists have condemned police tactics that involved cutting off food and water supplies in an effort to force the miners out.
A court ruling allowed civic groups to send food, water, and medicine to the miners, but they argue that the supplies are insufficient, and many miners are too weak to escape due to the steep shaft and the removal of ropes and pulley systems. Despite this, police argue that the miners are capable of leaving, pointing to some who have emerged in recent months, albeit after dangerous, days-long journeys to different shafts.
Rights groups, however, assert that these miners were strong enough to survive the arduous trek, while the remaining individuals are too weak and malnourished to undertake such a journey. Activists continue to push for a full-scale rescue operation to prevent further loss of life.