At Least 14 Artisanal Miners Found Dead at a Disused Mine in South Africa, Police Say
Police said scores more were injured as officers investigated the cause of the deaths at a disused mine shaft.
- On Tuesday, August 11, 2026, the South African Police Service discovered at least 14 illegal miners dead in an abandoned mine shaft near the Nkaneng informal settlement in Marikana, North West.
- Illegal miners frequently occupy abandoned gold and platinum shafts near Rustenburg and Johannesburg, often operating without safety equipment and staying underground for weeks to extract residual deposits.
- Police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburg reported scores of others were injured, while North West Commissioner Lieutenant General Arthur Adams is traveling to the scene to oversee the investigation.
- Illegal mining plagues South Africa, costing the government and industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost sales, taxes, and royalties while involving violent criminal networks.
- Tens of thousands of artisanal miners operate illegally across South Africa in shafts abandoned by commercial companies, creating a persistent challenge for law enforcement and industry safety standards.
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104 Articles
In South Africa, 14 miners died after an abandoned mine shaft collapsed near Rustenburg on Monday evening. Eight others were seriously injured, and several people are believed to still be trapped underground.
Mehr News Agency
Radio NicaraguaFourteen illegal miners were killed and eight others injured after the walls of an excavation area at a landfill in South Africa's North West province collapsed, police said on Wednesday.
Illegal miners killed in South Africa dump site collapse
Police say an unknown number of people could remain trapped at the site near Rustenburg At least 14 suspected illegal miners have been killed and eight others injured after the walls of an excavation collapsed at a dumping site in South Africa’s North West province, the authorities have said. The suspected ‘zama zamas’ – a...
14 arbeidere som drev ulovlig gruvevirksomhet i Sør-Africa, døde i et ras i en nedlagt gruve, opplyser politiet.
14 miners killed in disused S Africa mine collapse
A rockfall at an illegal mine northwest of Johannesburg killed 14 miners, most of them from Lesotho, with several hurt and others possibly still stuck underground, police said on Tuesday. Thousands of unregistered miners known as "zama zamas" operate in South Africa, scavenging abandoned mines for gold and other minerals in arduous and often perilous conditions. "Fourteen illegal miners, mostly Basothos, died during a rockfall," police spokeswom…
Cave-in kills 14 illegal miners in South Africa
Fourteen illegal chrome miners died after a mine caved in near Marikana in South Africa’s North West province, while authorities said others may remain trapped, The Daily Maverick reported. Police estimate... The post Cave-in kills 14 illegal miners in South Africa appeared first on The Northern Miner.
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