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South African police have removed 540 illegal miners from an abandoned mine shaft in Orkney, northern South Africa, following a blockade that cut off food and water supplies. The blockade, enforced earlier this week, caused “starvation and dehydration” among the miners, leading them to emerge from the shaft, police reported.
Miners have been coming to the surface in waves since Saturday, though hundreds are thought to remain underground. A police statement on Sunday urged security forces to “ensure the rule of law is restored,” after blocking community members from delivering supplies to the miners.
On Saturday, 225 miners were reported to have resurfaced, and by Sunday, an additional 340 had emerged and were arrested. Police estimate “hundreds if not a thousand” miners may still be underground.
These illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas” (Zulu for “those who try their luck”), work in dangerous conditions across South Africa’s mineral-rich landscape. National Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Shadrack Sibiya stated that, since December 2023, more than 13,690 illegal miners have been arrested, with authorities seizing R5 million ($283,000) in cash and uncut diamonds valued at R32 million ($1.8 million).
