At least 14 artisanal miners were killed and eight injured when the walls of an illicit mining excavation collapsed in South Africa’s North West province, police confirmed Tuesday.
The cave-in occurred Monday night near Rustenburg, a platinum-mining hub roughly 130 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg. North West provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Arthur Adams said the incident took place at a former dumping site where heaped earth gave way, not in a shaft as initially reported. Search operations continued Tuesday with sniffer dogs and specialised equipment deployed to locate any further victims. Adams said it remained unclear whether more people were trapped.
Most of the deceased are believed to be nationals of neighbouring Lesotho, according to police. Three of the injured were discharged from hospital and arrested on suspicion of illegal mining, while five others remained hospitalised under police guard.
The disaster highlights the persistent dangers of South Africa’s informal mining sector. Tens of thousands of artisanal miners, known locally as zama zamas — a term loosely translated as “chance takers” — operate in disused gold and platinum mines without proper safety equipment. Many remain underground for weeks at a time. These miners frequently work in organised groups linked to criminal syndicates that engage in violent turf battles and have been accused of terrorising surrounding communities.
In a recent major illegal-mining disaster, more than 80 miners died during a months-long standoff at a gold mine surrounded by police. President Cyril Ramaphosa has since deployed soldiers in a yearlong operation targeting organised crime, with illegal mining identified as a key focus.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims. The investigation into the cause of the collapse is ongoing.
