In the Khuma area near the Buffelsfontein mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, residents are facing economic hardship following the closure of illegal mining operations by authorities. Last November, hundreds of informal miners were trapped in a shaft of an abandoned gold mine after police blocked access as part of Operation Vala UmGodi (Operation Close the Hole).
The tragedy reveals a deep indifference to the lives of those trapped underground, highlighting a lack of responsiveness to injustice and a betrayal of South Africa’s constitutional values of human dignity.
Community-led rescue efforts have been laborious. With more than 50 people needed to pull a single person out of the shaft using a rope, progress has been slow. In the first two weeks, only 12 people were rescued. Survivors’ accounts are chilling, with some feeding on a mixture of toothpaste and toilet paper to stave off hunger. Bodies even began to decompose underground.
Amidst scarcity and a lack of a system for redistributing scarce resources, violence and chaos erupted among trapped miners as they competed for limited resources.
The Stilfontein community’s call for government intervention was met with a resounding refusal. Authorities labelled the trapped miners as criminals operating illegally. This position led to a lack of water and food for those trapped underground. President Cyril Ramaphosa supported this position, claiming that the Stilfontein mine was a crime scene where illegal mining was taking place, justifying the blocking of escape routes.
The stigmatisation of informal miners by mainstream media, including social media, as harmful and dangerous individuals, does not allow for a constructive debate on the policies that should be put in place to address the structural problems of poverty and unemployment in South Africa.
It is crucial to emphasise that criminalising the poorest allows the authorities to mask their own shortcomings in the fight against poverty and to use violence to silence the legitimate demands of the most vulnerable sections of society. Rather than treating the symptoms, it is essential to address the root causes of the precariousness that push these individuals to risk their lives in abandoned mines.
In short, it is imperative to change the biased perception of informal miners and open an inclusive and respectful dialogue to find sustainable solutions to the socio-economic challenges facing South AfricaOnly measures based on compassion and justice can ensure a better future for all citizens of the country.