North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed the seven zama zamas identified as two Zimbabweans, three Mozambicans, one South African, and one Lesotho national surfaced from Stilfontein Shaft 10 on Friday (13/12).

The miners shared their ordeal in an interview with Newzroom Afrika, claiming they are being held against their will by underground “bosses”. These individuals allegedly control food supplies and determine who may surface, keeping many trapped in dire conditions.

One of them described their daily struggle to survive, stating they are fortunate if they receive one meal of instant porridge per day. Access to other food items, sent underground by community groups and organisations, is reportedly restricted by the underground bosses.

“If we are lucky, we might get one bottle of mageu at 07:00 but then we’ll have to wait until the same time the next day for another.” 

He said at least 16 people are seriously ill underground, with hundreds more in worsening conditions. Only the sick are allowed to surface, while healthy zama zamas are forced to remain underground.

The illegal miner also revealed the extent of violence underground, showing scars from fights over scarce food supplies.

“As you can see, I have scars all over my body. It’s because we were fighting for food with other zama zamas. The underground bosses beat us all when they saw we were fighting. I can’t even identify these bosses because they change every three months,” he said.

Meanwhile Operation Vala Umgodi, a government initiative to seal off illegal mine shafts, faces criticism for exacerbating the crisis. The initiative, aimed at cutting off supplies to force illegal miners to come out, has been linked to worsening starvation and deteriorating health conditions underground. 

Local activists have raised concerns over the lack of a coordinated rescue strategy.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg