Illegal miners trapped in the depths of a South African gold mine have resorted to cannibalism to survive after authorities cut off their food supply to force them out, it has been revealed.
About 324 people were pulled from the old Buffelsfontein Gold Mine about 150 kilometers from Johannesburg last week, ending a months-long standoff between illegal miners and police.
But 78 of them were already dead, having expired after months of being sealed nearly a mile underground with no food and very little water.
Two emaciated survivors, currently on bail but facing charges of illegal mining and possession of gold, told the wire the lengths their colleagues went to to cling to life.
'They cut parts of legs, arms and ribs for maintenance. They decided it was their only remaining option for survival. '
Meanwhile, a man who took part in the rescue operation told the BBC how he could no longer eat meat after descending into the mine and discovering the rotting corpses of those who had died.
'Those bodies smelled really bad… They told me that some of them had to eat others [people] In the mine because they had no way to find food. And they also ate cockroaches. '
The shocking revelation has only served to deepen divisions in South Africa over the saga, with some commentators praising police for their zero-tolerance crackdown on criminal gangs.
But others, including leading unions, accused the state of one of the “most heinous displays of willful negligence in recent history.”
South African Police continue their rescue operation at the Stilfontein mine in the North West Province of South Africa on January 16, 2025
An emaciated miner is pulled out of the mine on a stretcher
Some miners were able to walk, but many more were carried out on stretchers
South Africa is full of mineral wealth and mining has long been one of the largest industries driving the nation's economy.
But the sector has also given way to a dark trade in which organized gangs – as well as desperate undocumented migrants – try to access disused shafts to plunder the minerals left behind.
This problem is particularly prevalent in old gold mines such as Buffelsfontein, where a large party descended on the old shaft in the hope of finding large gold deposits still left almost a mile deep early last year.
But South Africa police quickly identified the operation and surrounded the entrance to the axis in August.
Nearly 2,000 miners gave themselves up and left the shafts, but hundreds more refused. Police began to reduce their supply of food and water, with media reports suggesting they were cut off completely in November.
Police said it was necessary to “smoke” them, rather than risk police lives in battles with underground gang members.
The terrible situation was made worse by brutal gang leaders who allegedly hoarded what little food was available, leaving many to starve or die of dehydration.
Volunteers describing rescue efforts last week described horrific scenes as hundreds of illegal miners were brought to the surface, many on the brink of death.
Footage from the scene showed many of the miners – some of whom resembled concentration camp survivors – being pulled out on stretchers because they were simply unable to walk.
An emancipated miner is taken to a waiting ambulance after being rescued from underground in a disused gold mine shaft during the official rescue operation in Stilfontein, about 150 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, South Africa
Illegal miners rescued from an abandoned gold mine sit on the floor as rescuer and South African Police Service (SAPS) officers record their details and provide assistance in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025
South African Police Service (SAPS) Officers record details of illegal miners rescued from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025
A man who gave his name to the BBC when MKWAYI said they were able to fit 13 men into cages designed to hold seven adults, such was the extent of the hardship they had suffered.
'They were very dehydrated and had lost weight, so we managed to fit more in the cage as they wouldn't have survived another two days in the hole.
“They would be dead if we didn't get them out as quickly as possible.”
Mkwayi also dispelled police statements suggesting the miners refused to come out of their own volition.
“It's a lie that people didn't want to come out. Those people were desperate for help, they died,” he said, arguing that in many cases they were starved and dehydrated to the point of immobility.
“I have to tell you, I'm traumatized. I will never forget the sight of these people for the rest of my life. '
The police crackdown at the Buffelsfontein mine came as part of a nationwide operation called 'Vala Umgodi', which translates as 'Close the hole'.
This was launched by South African authorities in December 2023 after organized crime networks were found to have taken over large numbers of old mines.
Many of these gangs have reportedly used desperate 'Zama Zamas' – undocumented migrants who scrape by to earn a living – to dig for gold and other minerals, often profiting for themselves.
Operation Vala Umgodi was largely successful in other locations and in August last year almost 2,000 people left the Buffelsfontein mine.
But hundreds more remained in the shaft, prompting police to carry out their siege.
Community members picket the mine shaft where rescue operations are underway as efforts are made to rescue illegal miners who have been underground for months in Stilfontein, South Africa, January 14, 2025
Local community and relatives of the trapped miners gather at the entrance to a disused gold mine shaft in Stilfontein during official rescue efforts
Families of miners and activist protest as South African Police Minister Senzo McHunu visits an abandoned gold mine, where miners are rescued from underground in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, Tuesday, January 14, 2025
As reports of dying miners circulated in South Africa, citizens from the community around Buffelsfontein and relatives of miners began organizing protests.
They had even tried to launch their own rescue operation earlier this month, throwing a rope down the shaft in a futile attempt to pull miners up.
Police were finally forced to act early last week after courts ruled they must provide humanitarian aid and work with a mining company to launch a rescue effort.
And outrage among authorities has intensified after it was revealed that an alleged gang leader had been brought out of the shaft in December and smuggled away by corrupt officers.
South African MP Ian Cameron said: 'If the police denied them leaving the shaft and then starved them to death, then there is a need for a serious investigation – not just an investigation, but the consequences that should be enforced against the police officers involved. '
He also railed against police for allowing a notorious gang leader to escape the shaft.
“The fact that he got away, and the police admitted it, clearly showed that the police were somewhat complicit and that raises a lot of eyebrows in a wider context.”
