KAAX sends its solidarity and message of support to the families of loved ones who are trapped in the Stilfontein mine.
An injury to one is an injury to all. We call on all who live in South Africa to consider the plight of human beings, irrespective of race, class, or nationality.
South Africa faces a profound humanitarian and governance crisis as the tragedy at Stilfontein’s abandoned Buffelsfontein mine exposes systemic failures and xenophobic undercurrents in the state’s response.
Desperate informal miners (referred to as “zama zamas”) have been trapped underground due to the blocking of the shafts by SAPS and are at the mercy of a government whose actions and rhetoric reveal a pattern of neglect and disregard for their lives and basic human dignity.
Like many similar communities battling poverty and exclusion, the abandoned Buffelsfontein mine has become a last resort for making a living.
South Africans and migrants alike risk their lives extracting remnants of gold (and other minerals) from hazardous shafts because the state has failed to implement reforms that could formalize artisanal mining.
Further, many desperate ex-miners from other SADC countries have been recruited by criminal syndicates and are often held as bonded labour, while experiencing high levels of exploitation and violence.
The crisis must be understood within the context of South and Southern Africa’s deepening systemic inequality and rising economic despair.
The trapped miners’ plea for antiretroviral (ARV) medication has been met with shocking indifference by Minister of Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, who has delayed providing these life-saving medications, citing legal and logistical hurdles, a decision that is a clear violation of constitutional healthcare rights.
The refusal to deliver ARVs underscores a failure to prioritise human life. Minister Motsoaledi’s inaction disregards the Doctor’s Oath’s principle of “do no harm, preserve life.”
Instead, law enforcement has actively blocked essential supplies, compounding the humanitarian crisis underground.
Such a punitive response is in direct contradiction of one of the core objectives of The South Africa National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB, and STIs (2023–2028) , which “… is about the people and communities of South Africa, and how they can be supported to achieve optimal health and social outcomes… and (about) end(ing) inequalities and barriers to accessing HIV, TB and STI services and solutions.”
The plan explicitly acknowledges the need to include migrants and foreign nationals in healthcare strategies to achieve equity and effectiveness in combating these diseases.
It emphasizes the importance of removing barriers to access for these populations, which often include discrimination, language barriers, and lack of documentation.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni exacerbated the crisis by saying government will “smoke them out.”
This incendiary rhetoric criminalises all informal miners and denies the reality of most being victims of systemic poverty and government failure.
It reflects a leadership style that prioritizes scapegoating over solutions. Such conduct erodes public trust and undermines democratic values.
Indeed government negligence is at the heart of this crisis. For decades, abandoned mines have been left unsealed and unmanaged, creating fertile ground for criminal syndicates to thrive.
Mining companies, having extracted immense profits, have shirked responsibility for rehabilitating abandoned sites, while the government has failed to enforce accountability.
This governance void has turned ex-miners into “illegal” workers, forced to navigate dangerous conditions while facing threats from police and criminal networks.
The xenophobic framing of this crisis is equally alarming. False narratives accusing migrants of monopolising informal mining distract from the broader issues of poverty and government neglect.
This rhetoric not only fosters division but also absolves those in power from addressing systemic failures.
A similar pattern is evident in the government’s recent clampdown on informal traders, particularly migrant-owned spaza shops, under the pretext of food safety violations.
Instead of implementing comprehensive industry-wide regulations, the state targets small traders struggling to survive.
This selective enforcement fuels xenophobic sentiments while ignoring the structural issues that endanger public health.
Immediate action is needed to address the Stilfontein crisis. Humanitarian relief, including the urgent delivery of ARVs and essential supplies must be prioritised without delay and SAPS must publicly commit to respect the dignity of any/all miners who surface.
Leaders must be held accountable for their words and actions. Dr. Motsoaledi must issue a public apology, while Minister Ntshavheni must retract her irresponsible and divisive rhetoricBesides these immediate actions, longer-term solutions are critical.
Mining companies must be held accountable for the rehabilitation of abandoned shafts and government – through the DMRE – must now confirm and actively pursue the formalisation of artisanal mining as per their own policy adopted in 2022 – which is essential to neuter and dismantle criminal syndicates, protect workers and address poverty.
This crisis is not an isolated incident but a reflection of systemic neglect, corruption, and the weaponisation of xenophobia. As a country, we must confront these issues with urgency and compassion.
Without meaningful change, similar tragedies will continue to devastate communities and erode the nation’s social fabric.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
