South African authorities are under fire from outraged citizens following the recently concluded rescue operation at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, where at least 87 illegal miners, or zama zamas, lost their lives.
According to africanews, human rights groups criticized the authorities for delaying the rescue, allegedly due to their perception of the miners as criminals.
Reports indicate that authorities may face an investigation for initially refusing to assist the miners. Instead, they reportedly employed a controversial strategy to force them out by cutting off food supplies—a tactic described by a prominent Cabinet minister and widely condemned by one of South Africa’s largest trade unions.
Police and mine owners were also accused of removing ropes and dismantling a pulley system the miners used to access the shaft and transport supplies.
Despite the criticism, the CEO of Mines Rescue Services commended the operation, calling it a “world first” achieved with a “unique” machine developed in South Africa’s mining sector. “We didn’t anticipate we would complete the operation so quickly,” he told reporters.
However, rescue volunteers have argued that the deaths were preventable, intensifying the criticism against the South African government for its handling of the incident.
