Concern Grows for Zama Zamas in Stilfontein as Festive Season Brings Grim Realities - iAfrica

Concern Grows for Zama Zamas in Stilfontein as Festive Season Brings Grim RealitiesDecember 27, 2024December 27, 2024NEWS, South Africa2 min readCivil society organizations are expressing deep concern for illegal miners, known as zama zamas, still trapped in abandoned mines in Stilfontein. With law enforcement efforts to force them to the surface at a standstill, fears grow that the festive season will bring more tragedy for those underground.

Over recent months, authorities have intensified operations to dismantle illegal mining networks, cutting off access to food, water, and medical supplies. While some dehydrated and starving miners have emerged from the shafts, hundreds reportedly remain underground, too fearful of arrest to come to the surface.

The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) has described the conditions underground as dire. Meshack Mbangula, the organization’s representative, warned of an escalating humanitarian crisis:

“At the moment, we as communities have run out of supplies for the people down there. They need food. Those people are starving, and they will lose their lives,” Mbangula said.

Since August, more than 1,400 zama zamas have been arrested in North West, and at least a dozen bodies have been retrieved from one of the mine shafts. Postmortem results are pending, but activists and community leaders have accused the police of starving the miners into submission.

Mbangula called for urgent government intervention to prevent further loss of life, highlighting the failure of two court bids to compel authorities to provide humanitarian aid to those underground.

“The lives of these miners depend on swift action from the State or the courts,” Mbangula said.

As the festive season unfolds, the plight of the zama zamas remains a grim reminder of the ongoing struggle surrounding illegal mining in South Africa.