Stilfontein Mine Shaft: Death Toll Increased to Six

Six bodies of illegal mine workers have been retrieved from Stilfontein mine shaft.

(The Post News)- Six bodies have been recovered in the previous two days from the abandoned Stilfontein mine shaft in Rustenburg, North West, where hundreds of illegal miners (known as Zama Zamas) remain. On Wednesday, four of the bodies were retrieved from underground, while the other two were retrieved on Tuesday, and the number of miners still underground remains unknown.

According to reports, the Zama Zamas continue to send messages in the form of letters, appealing for food, medication, and a swift rescue of the ill. Rorisang Kgosana reported on TimesLIVE that the letters were sent through the retrieved dead bodies. 

Meanwhile, the Pretoria High Court is scheduled to hear an application for additional humanitarian assistance by the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) and the Lawyers for Human Rights for the Zama Zamas who remain inside the mine shaft.

On Monday, MACUA and Lawyers for Human Rights received an interim court order requiring multiple authorities, notably ministers of police and mineral resources, to provide organizations and community members permission to aid the Zama Zamas. Additionally, another application was brought before the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday, where the court ruled that by restricting the amount of food, medication, and batteries required to be delivered to the miners, the police violated an order issued on Sunday.

Responding to the court’s ruling, the South African Police Service (SAPS) stated that allowing a large supply of food prevents the police operation against Zama Zamas and encourages those in charge of the miners to detain them longer. While Provincial spokesperson Brigadier Sebata Mokgwabone declined to comment on the court’s ruling until Thursday’s hearing, he comfirmed that only food was being delivered to the mine shaft.

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Nomfundo Ngobese

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An experienced journalist who believes that giving voice to the voiceless can lead to constructive social change. For me, journalism is more than just writing stories; it is about enlightening, educating, and entertaining people of all ages, rich and poor, literate or illiterate. As a news editor at TPN, my responsibility is to guarantee people encounter all of these features through well-written, properly structured, and easy-to-understand stories, while also ensuring that our agency adheres to the essential principles and values of journalism.

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