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Inside South Africa's 'ruthless' gang-controlled gold mines WATCH: The dangerous world of illegal mining in South Africa Illegal trade booms in South Africa's 'super-strange looking' plants
People watch as Senzo Mchunu, South African police minister (not pictured), inspects outside the mineshaft where it is estimated that hundreds of illegal miners are believed to be hiding ...
The South African government has launched a rescue operation at an abandoned gold mine in the country’s North West province, where at least 109 men have died, a group representing the miners ...
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned gold mine for months, with more than 100 of them believed to have died of starvation or dehydration.
South African authorities have for years struggled to stop groups of miners from going into some of the gold-rich country's 6,000 abandoned or closed mines to search for leftover deposits. According to officials, South Africa lost more than $3 billion in gold to the illicit trade last year.
South Africa's illegal miners – called zama zamas, or "take a chance" in colloquial Zulu – are estimated to number more than 50,000, a tenfold increase in two decades.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 100 men who were mining illegally in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa have died of suspected starvation and dehydration after being trapped deep underground for months while police tried to force them out, a group representing the miners said Monday. More than 500 others are still trapped, the group said.
The Stilfontein gold mine in North West Province was once a major gold producer but ceased operations in 2013. [4] [5] Since its closure, it has been a site for illicit mining activity, with artisanal miners (known locally as zama zamas attempting to extract remaining gold deposits in the abandoned shafts. [6]