Inside South Africa's Deadly Mine Disaster | Bloomberg Investigates

Industry Overview & Economic Impact - South Africa's gold mining industry is centuries old, but is currently in decline [1][21] - Illegal mining and gold theft have cost South Africa 41 billion Rand [2] - The South African government estimates losing potentially around 60 billion Rand in revenue due to illegal mining [4] - As of 2024, there are approximately 6,200 abandoned or derelict mines in South Africa [2] Illegal Mining & "Zama Zamas" - Illegal miners, known as "zama zamas" (meaning "try and try again"), enter abandoned mines to extract remaining deposits [3][4] - The majority of illegal miners are undocumented foreign nationals [10] - Illegal mining is considered a criminal activity and a war on the economy [2][8] - Some zama zamas are against formalization of artisanal mining, fearing reduced profits, while others simply want to be left alone due to government's failure to provide jobs [25] Government Response & Operation Vala Umgodi - Operation Vala Umgodi is a multidisciplinary law enforcement operation aimed at cracking down on illegal mining [4] - Vala Umgodi tactics include blocking routes used to deliver food to illegal miners [5] - The government initially refused to assist trapped miners, viewing them as criminals evading arrest [12][15] - The North Gauteng High Court ordered mine rescue services to begin operations to rescue illegal miners [17] Stilfontein Tragedy & Community Impact - The Stilfontein incident is described as a "massacre" due to the large number of deaths [1][16] - The architecture of the Stilfontein shaft, a two-kilometer drop with flooded tunnels, made escape difficult [7] - Community members stepped in to rescue illegal miners when the police refused [12][13][19] - The Stilfontein community experienced a shutdown of the local economy and is described as a "ghost town" [21] - There is anger and a desire for acknowledgement and compensation from the government for the loss of life [23][24]