87 Miners Dead In South Africa Amid Outrage Over Police Tactics

The death toll in the months-long standoff at South Africa’s Buffelsfontein Gold Mine has risen to 87, with authorities facing fierce criticism over their handling of the crisis.

Police confirmed on Thursday that 78 bodies were recovered during a court-ordered rescue operation launched Monday, while nine other bodies were retrieved earlier.

The operation also rescued 246 survivors, many of whom were emaciated and injured after being trapped underground for months.

The crisis began when illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas,” became trapped in the abandoned mine.

Authorities initially refused to assist, instead cutting off food supplies and dismantling equipment used by miners to access the mine, in a controversial tactic described as “smoking them out.”

Critics, including trade unions and community leaders, condemned the approach as inhumane. “If the police had acted earlier, we wouldn’t have bodies piling up,” said Johannes Qankase, a local community leader.

A court later ordered the provision of food and water to the trapped miners and mandated the current rescue operation.

Many of the miners, believed to number nearly 2,000, were undocumented immigrants from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.

Survivors have been arrested, and police reported seizing gold, explosives, firearms, and cash from the site.

Despite the outcry, police defended their approach, stating, “Providing necessities to illegal miners would allow criminality to thrive.”

The South African Federation of Trade Unions, however, questioned how a constitutional democracy could allow people to starve underground.

The Buffelsfontein tragedy highlights the broader issue of illegal mining in South Africa, which involves over 6,000 abandoned mines and costs the country over $1 billion annually.

The government has yet to announce an independent inquiry into the handling of the crisis, despite calls from political parties and civic groups.