Survivors Reveal Harrowing Accounts of Starvation, Cannibalism, and State Neglect as Police Blockade Triggers Tragedy in South Africa’s Illegal Mining Crisis
Two survivors of a South African mining disaster have shared harrowing details of how emaciated miners allegedly turned to cannibalism to survive after being trapped nearly a mile underground. The miners were stranded for months in abandoned shafts at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine after police blocked food and water supplies to force their return to the surface.
“They cut parts of legs, arms, and ribs for sustenance. They felt it was their only option,”
one survivor said, speaking anonymously. The survivor and a colleague claim they avoided cannibalism but admitted to eating cockroaches in their fight to stay alive.
The tragic incident, which left 78 dead and over 246 miners rescued, has sparked outrage across South Africa, with accusations of state negligence and police misconduct.
Police’s ‘Smoke Them Out’ Strategy Criticized
The disaster unfolded after South African police initiated a blockade at the disused Buffelsfontein mine in August 2024, aiming to force illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas” (“those who take a chance”), to surface. These miners risk their lives in abandoned mines searching for remnants of gold and other precious metals, often under the control of criminal syndicates.
Officials claimed miners could exit freely but were resisting to avoid arrest and deportation. However, unions and locals insisted that many were trapped or too weak to leave. Courts later ordered humanitarian aid and rescue operations.
Corruption Allegations Surface
Adding to the controversy, authorities revealed that James Neo Tshoaeli, an alleged gang leader dubbed “Tiger,” escaped custody with the help of corrupt police officers. Tshoaeli, a Lesotho national, is accused of orchestrating the underground operation and hoarding supplies, leaving miners to starve.
Tshoaeli’s escape has drawn sharp criticism.
“The fact that he got away shows clear police complicity,”
said Ian Cameron, chairman of parliament’s police select committee.
Survivors Describe Life Underground
The surviving miners said they initially earned approximately £400 a month by ferrying food and supplies into the mine. However, conditions deteriorated rapidly after police cut off supplies. Brief attempts to restore food deliveries under court orders were thwarted by underground gang bosses who hoarded resources.
Rescuers eventually retrieved bodies and skeletal survivors from the shafts in December, leading to public outrage and calls for accountability.
Government Under Fire
South Africa’s mining minister, Gwede Mantashe, has defended the police’s hardline approach.
“If you go to a dangerous place like a neglected mine and starve yourself to death, how is that the state’s responsibility?” he said.
The disaster has reignited debates over illegal mining in South Africa, where thousands, driven by a 32% unemployment rate, risk their lives in over 6,000 abandoned mines.
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