‘We don’t have anyone we work for,’ says illegal miner who resurfaced from Stilfontein

Efforts to rescue up to an estimated 1 200 illegal miners at the disused mine shaft at Stilfontein in North West began yesterday, with emergency teams and other rescuers getting ready to start operations.

A grader arrived on site at about 3pm to clear the rubble near the entrance of the mine shaft.

One of the miners who came out last week, Ayanda Ndabeni, shared his experience with The Citizen.

Stilfontein miner shares experience

Ndabeni, who has been working as an illegal miner for eight years, said: “I have been underground for two months. We mine gold. Underground, we are able to work and have a place to sleep.

“There is water between the rocks, but without food it becomes hard to access it as it’s at a distance. In desperate cases, we even resort to drinking unclean water, sometimes contaminated with acid.”

He added that there were about 800 miners on one level, but many more were scattered across different levels.

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“There are two shafts, shaft 10 and shaft 11, with separate groups of people. When I left, I was certain some miners had not yet received the message to come out.”

Miners sell gold on the black market

Ndabeni said he earned anywhere between R10 000 and R30 000, it all depended on the amount of gold mined and how long he was underground.

The miners sell the gold on the black market.

“It goes wherever it gets to, but we don’t have a boss or anyone we work for,” he said.

Ndabeni recounted how the group were caught off guard when their food and water supply was cut off.

“We grouped together and waited until a volunteer informed us that the police were asking us to come out. The weak and frail were prioritised to prevent any deaths,” he said.

On Monday, the illegal miners sent a letter to the surface stating: “Sicela ama ARVs plz, abantu bayawadinga ngapha. Siyacela.” Loosely translated: “We need ARVs, people need them here, please!” A second letter requested food.

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After three weeks, authorities intensified Operation Vala Umgodi to fight illegal mining in North West and other areas.

The water shortage resulted in more than 1 000 miners resurfacing at Stilfontein mine. Some miners have reportedly died while some are reported to be too weak to come up to the surface.

Ndabeni said: “There were no fatalities among the group I was with, except for one miner who was evacuated before me. The conditions are dire underground. The food being lowered isn’t enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if more deaths occur.”

Conditions dire underground

There was little activity yesterday but Ndabeni and a group of volunteers were able to send a letter underground using a rope, informing miners about latest developments.

Community leader Levies Pilusa said: “We are concerned about the safety and durability of the rope. We’ve cautioned them to stay clear of the entrance during the process to avoid injury.

Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa