At least 14 artisanal miners have been killed, and eight others injured in a mine collapse near Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province, a state police spokesman said at the weekend. The deadly incident occurred on Monday night, August 10, when the walls of an illegal mine collapsed, trapping miners beneath the rubble.
Search and rescue efforts were continuing as authorities explored whether there are still trapped people underground, he said. Specialized equipment and sniffer dogs are currently part of the search operation.
The mine was on private property and a disused mine where artisanal miners had been extracting platinum-group metals. The collapse has once more highlighted the dangers associated with illicit mining operations in South Africa, where workers frequently enter abandoned or disused mines without the safety infrastructure available at regulated mining operations.
The eight injured miners were taken for medical treatment. Three of the injured miners were released from hospital and arrested on suspicion of illegal mining, while five were placed under police guard, police said.
The identities and nationalities of all those killed had not yet been confirmed. The injured miners were from neighbouring Lesotho, and many of the dead were also thought to have been from outside South Africa, police said.
Criminalizing illegal and informal mining has become a major problem in South Africa. Artisanal miners -- commonly known locally as “zama zamas” -- often work in abandoned gold, platinum and other mineral deposits. And many work with little protection and rudimentary tools, exposing themselves to cave-ins, explosions, toxic gases and other underground hazards.
The problem extends beyond workplace safety. South African authorities have linked elements of the illicit mining sector with organized criminal networks that can control access to abandoned mines, supply equipment and facilitate the movement and sale of illegally extracted minerals.
The latest tragedy has raised new questions about the safety of abandoned mine sites and the government's attempts to tackle illegal mining. The authorities are attempting to secure abandoned mining sites and tackle economic pressures that lead people into dangerous informal mining.
South Africa has seen several deadly incidents involving illegal miners in recent years. An abandoned mine in Stilfontein, also in North West province, witnessed 60 illegal miners die in 2024, and a national debate was fueled by the illegal mining, policing and the conditions of the most vulnerable workers underground.
At least 14 artisanal miners killed in collapse at an illicit mine in South Africa. pic.twitter.com/bO9Bq2cIg4
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The Rustenburg-area collapse adds to those concerns. The region is part of South Africa’s platinum mining belt, leaving many mineral-rich abandoned sites attractive for informal miners looking for minerals.
The search and rescue teams continued to search the affected area after the latest collapse, with authorities warning that the death toll could potentially change if additional victims are discovered. Police and emergency workers will also investigate what happened and what was going on at the site, they said.
The incident has once again exposed the dangers faced by people working outside South Africa’s regulated mining industry. Unlike formal mining operations, illicit sites often lack structural assessments, engineered supports, ventilation systems, emergency escape routes and professional rescue arrangements.
The collapse has caused another catastrophic loss for families of those killed. For authorities, it presents a new challenge to combat illegal mining and the criminal networks around it.
The rescue and recovery teams will have to provide more details about the victims, the exact cause of the collapse, and whether anyone else is still trapped.
The tragedy near Rustenburg is an illustration of the deadly dangers associated with unregulated underground mining. At least 14 artisanal miners have been killed and eight injured so far, and search operations are ongoing at the site to locate everyone at the scene.
