The South African government has embarked on a dramatic and long-awaited rescue operation at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, North West Province, following harrowing revelations about conditions underground.
On Thursday, the Pretoria High Court was informed of the grim discovery of 109 bodies in shafts 10 and 11 of the mine, highlighting the urgent need for intervention. “In reality, the mineworkers cannot wait as they are dying by the hour,” said Zinzi Tom, sister of one of the trapped miners, in an affidavit submitted to the court on Friday.
The rescue operation, estimated to cost 12 million rands (approximately 1 billion naira), is a collaborative effort between the government and the Minerals Council South Africa. Each entity is set to shoulder half the cost.
The crisis unfolded as Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) intervened on behalf of affected families and illegal miners, or zama zamas, filing urgent applications in both the Pretoria High Court and the Constitutional Court. The applications highlighted the deteriorating conditions underground, with some miners resorting to unthinkable measures to survive.
“Testimonies from the trapped miners have painted a chilling picture,” said representatives of Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua), a community group. They alleged that extreme hunger and desperation had driven some miners to acts of cannibalism.
Macua’s submission to the Constitutional Court emphasized the moral obligation to rescue those trapped. “To leave these miners abandoned in darkness is to sentence them to a fate unworthy of any human being,” the group stated.
The logistical challenges of the rescue are immense. Mines Rescue Services (MRS), the company tasked with the operation, is mobilizing specialized equipment, including a bespoke mobile rescue winder. CEO Andries Fourie confirmed the operation’s commencement in a statement to the court.
“We are currently conducting groundwork to enable our mobile rescue winder to navigate the gravel roads leading to shaft 11,” said Fourie. “Once the groundwork is complete, hoisting operations will begin immediately.”
Authorities estimate it will take 16 days to extract the 550 trapped miners, with the rescue winder operating in 10-hour shifts and lifting miners in small groups.
Conditions inside the mine are appalling, with trapped miners reportedly enduring the stench of decomposing bodies. A handwritten letter from the miners described the unbearable odor and pleaded for face masks and disinfectants, including Jeyes fluid, to cope with the maggots infesting their surroundings.
Judge Ronel Tolmay, presiding over the Pretoria High Court case, expressed deep concern for the miners’ welfare. “We need to remember that people’s lives are at stake,” she said. The judge directed authorities to ensure food, water, and medical supplies were provided to those underground.
She also issued a stern warning to government representatives, emphasizing that any obstruction to humanitarian aid deliveries, even over the weekend, must be reported to the court immediately. “On my watch, nobody’s going without food,” Tolmay declared.
LHR has been pivotal in coordinating legal efforts to ensure the rescue operation proceeds without delay. The organization filed an urgent application on Thursday night on behalf of Zinzi Tom, which was heard the following morning.
