Two allegedly illegal miners have died after being buried underground at a mining site on Monday, 24 October.
The Herald went to the scene, where we saw a number of allegedly illegal miners, some of whom were wearing balaclavas, gathered around the make-shift entrance to the mine. Some of the men were busy in the hole out of which the bodies had been extracted.
Initially, there was tension in the air, but after a while, they openly posed for photos. Some of them were having their lunch, only a few metres away from where their deceased co-workers had been extracted just a few hours previously.
The Herald spoke to one of the men, who was busy with a pan containing some sand. He informed us that the two men had died. Another man was seen rinsing sand in a nearby pool of water.
According to a resident of the area, who wishes to remain anonymous, the hearse had already left the site. She further said the community is tired of hearing the voices of the alleged illegal miners and that the illegal mining is ruining the area and making their grounds unstable.
“Crime is also increasing terribly. There are trucks full of mined sand being transported from the site, right in front of my eyes,” she said.
The Herald contacted Colonel Selvan Moonsamy, commander of the Westonaria Police Station, who stated the following: “We can confirm that two persons died at the site, and that an inquest has been opened. This case is under investigation.”
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