At least 14 artisanal miners killed after illegal mine collapses

At least 14 artisanal miners died and eight were injured when the walls of an illicit mine caved in on them in South Africa, police said Tuesday.

North West provincial police commissioner Lt. Gen. Arthur Adams said a search was ongoing and it was unclear whether there were more victims, with sniffer dogs and specialized equipment deployed to look for anyone still trapped.

The cave-in happened Monday night near the city of Rustenburg, a platinum-mining hub about 130 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg.

“At that time, it was found that 14 male persons died as a result of a mine heap that caved in,” Adams said.

He said preliminary information had suggested a shaft collapsed but that it was in fact “an open excavation” at a former dumping site, where the walls of heaped earth gave way.

Most of those who died appeared to be nationals of neighbouring Lesotho, police said.

Three of the injured were released from a hospital and arrested on suspicion of illegal mining, while five others remained hospitalized under police guard.

Tens of thousands of artisanal miners work illegally in South African gold and platinum mines no longer used by companies, often without proper safety equipment and sometimes staying underground for weeks.

Known as zama zamas, loosely, “chance takers” they frequently operate in gangs linked to criminal syndicates that fight violent turf battles and are accused of terrorising communities.

South Africa’s last major illegal-mining disaster came in late 2024, when more than 80 miners died during a months-long standoff at a gold mine surrounded by police.

President Cyril Ramaphosa this year deployed soldiers in a yearlong operation against organized crime, with illegal mining a key focus.