Seventeen illegal miners emerged from two shafts in Stilfontein, South Africa, on Thursday, following allegations of forced labour and armed intimidation.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed that 14 miners surfaced from the Margaret Shaft, while three others emerged from Shaft 10.
The group includes foreign nationals from Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, who are currently being processed.
Meanwhile, approximately 300 illegal miners appeared in the Stilfontein Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, facing charges including illegal mining and breaching immigration laws.
Among those who resurfaced is a 19-year-old miner, who shared harrowing details of his ordeal underground. The teenager, whose name is withheld for safety reasons, said he had been trapped in the mines for six months after being lured by the promise of part-time work.
He claimed that heavily armed mine bosses, allegedly of Basotho origin, controlled operations and refused to let miners leave. “There are snipers down there. They will beat you if you want to leave,” he alleged.
Surviving under dire conditions, the teenager described the mines as “wet and not good.” He claimed to have eaten toothpaste to survive and said he escaped out of hunger. “I am weak, and more people are still coming. There were three behind us.”
He also alleged that he had been forced to mine 25 grams of gold during his captivity.
This development sheds light on the grim realities faced by illegal miners in South Africa, where allegations of exploitation and human rights abuses are increasingly common.
Authorities are investigating the claims as they process the rescued individuals and work to address the broader issue of illegal mining in the region.
