14 Illegal Miners Killed in South Africa Mine Collapse
At least 14 suspected illegal miners have died and eight others were injured after a mine dump collapsed near Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province.
The collapse occurred on Monday night in an open, disused mining site owned by a private company. According to provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General, Arthur Peter Adams, the miners were reportedly conducting an illegal mining operation for platinum-group metals when the walls of the mine dump collapsed on the group. As a result, an unknown number of people were left trapped beneath the debris. In a statement, the police said immediate priority remains on the safe search and recovery of any individuals who may still be trapped inside.
Adams confirmed that the group was made up of undocumented foreign nationals and will face illegal mining and trespassing charges. Three of the eight injured miners have been detained by the police after being released from the hospital. According to police, the injured miners are from neighbouring Lesotho, while the nationalities of those who died had not been identified.
Illegal mining is a longstanding problem in South Africa. Illegal miners, commonly known as “zama zamas,” often work in dangerous and unstable conditions without the safety equipment used by licensed mining operations. Illegal mining is also commonly connected to organized criminal networks and violent gangs.
Police are investigating the incident to determine how the miners gained access to the mine, which is located on private property.
The latest deaths highlight the risks and dangers associated with illegal mining. The incident adds to a long history of deaths linked to illegal mining in South Africa, where abandoned and disused mines remain a serious safety and law-enforcement challenge. In January 2025, 78 bodies were found in a disused gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, during a crackdown on illegal mining.
