South African police announced on Sunday that 225 illegal miners, locally referred to as “zama zamas” (a Zulu term meaning “those who try”), have been arrested after being forced to the surface of an abandoned mine shaft in Orkney, North West Province, due to a lack of food and water.
Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe confirmed the arrests to AFP, explaining that the miners emerged from underground after suffering from severe dehydration and hunger.
Authorities had cut off access routes used by accomplices to supply provisions to the miners trapped in the abandoned shafts.
“As a result of starvation and dehydration,” Mathe stated, “the illegal miners had no choice but to resurface.” Police are continuing to monitor the area closely.
“We are still keeping an eye on the abandoned mine shafts as more and more illegal miners come up,” she added.
The authorities suspect that the 225 arrested miners are part of a much larger group, potentially in the hundreds or even thousands, still trapped beneath the surface. In a statement released on Saturday, police revealed that many more illegal miners remain underground.
Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, reported that thousands of suspected illegal miners have been detained across several provinces since late last year.
“Since December 2023, we have arrested over 13,691 suspected illegal miners across seven provinces,” Sibiya said. “We have seized R5 million in cash and uncut diamonds worth R32 million.”
The illegal mining operations have long been a concern for South Africa, a nation rich in mineral resources.
Thousands of these miners, many of whom come from neighboring countries, work in hazardous conditions, posing challenges for mining companies and contributing to criminal activity, according to local residents.
