Emergency and site personnel work at a dumping site in South Africa's North West Province following the collapse that killed 14 suspected illegal miners. (Rumana Akoob)

NNA News - Fourteen illegal miners have died and eight others were injured after an excavated area collapsed at a dumping site near Rustenburg in South Africa's North West Province, highlighting the continuing dangers associated with unregulated mining operations. The incident occurred at the Nkaneng dumping site in Bojanala Sub-District 2 on Monday night and was reported to police at about 9 pm local time.

According to North West provincial police commissioner Arthur Adams, preliminary information indicates that a group of suspected illegal miners, commonly known as zama zamas, were manually digging inside an excavated area when its walls collapsed. The miners were trapped underground following the collapse. Nearby security personnel were alerted by one of the miners, who reported the incident before disappearing.

Police subsequently responded to the site, where they found the bodies of 14 illegal miners. Eight other people were rescued and taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. Three were later discharged and detained for allegedly contravening the Immigration Act, while five remain in hospital under police guard. Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. “An inquest investigation has also been opened to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Adams said.

The deaths once again draw attention to the hazardous conditions under which illegal mining takes place in parts of South Africa. Illegal mining remains a major challenge, particularly around abandoned and disused gold and platinum mining operations. Workers can operate without regulated safety equipment or oversight, while some illegal mining activities involve people entering unstable underground areas for extended periods.

An excavated area at a dumping site in South Africa's North West Province following a collapse that killed 14 suspected illegal miners. (Rumana Akoob)

The activity has also increasingly been linked to organised criminal networks, while the involvement of undocumented migrants has added an immigration and law enforcement dimension to the problem. The South African government has stepped up efforts to combat illegal mining. In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to assist police in operations targeting illegal mining and gangsterism.

The latest incident underscores the human cost of illegal mining and the risks faced by people working in unstable and unregulated excavations. The inquest will seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the collapse and the deaths.