Roodepoort, Gauteng – A heroic, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempt by a local resident to rescue two illegal miners trapped in the abandoned Rand Lease Mine in Roodepoort ended in near tragedy on Monday, as the volunteer rescuer collapsed due to the perilous conditions within the disused mine shaft.
On Monday, 10 February, a group of men from the community gathered ropes and headed to the disused mine, driven by the belief that the trapped miners were still alive underground. Residents claimed they could hear sounds emanating from the mine shaft, prompting them to take action.
A volunteer from the community was lowered into the shaft using ropes; however, he soon found himself in a life-threatening situation. Before reaching the bottom, the man blacked out, gasping for air and shouting for help.
“I'm running out of breath," he cried out before losing consciousness.
The lack of oxygen caused him to faint, necessitating a swift and urgent return to the surface. Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) had previously warned the media that the oxygen levels in the abandoned mine shaft were dangerously low, registering at just 14%.
The failed rescue attempt has further diminished hopes for the survival of the trapped miners. "The person we sent underground collapsed before reaching the bottom. If the men trapped inside are still alive, it would be a miracle," said a resident, expressing growing doubts about the fate of the zama zamas. "We need to consider other options to retrieve them or their bodies.”
The two zama zamas have been trapped underground since Saturday, 8 February, and were allegedly heard calling for help on Sunday, 9 February. According to reports, this was their first attempt to enter the shaft.
The official EMS rescue operation was terminated due to an obstruction encountered at a depth of 70 metres. "The rescuers went down 70 metres where there is a wooden platform. There is a hole on the platform which leads them to makeshift stairs and it is a dangerous situation for the rescuers to advance further down," EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said on Monday.
Mulaudzi added that oxygen levels at that depth were critically low, registering at just 14%, posing a significant danger to rescuers. "We found out that there is an obstruction which we have to deal with now. It looks like the shaft might be over 100 or so metres deep. We have to ensure that obstruction is not going to create a problem for us…as we conduct the operation," he explained.
He said they were waiting for the community "to provide any information regarding other entries which connect to the hole in question".
Mulaudzi also stated, "There are no other responses, no voices like the ones we heard during our last operation," suggesting that the trapped miners may no longer be alive.
"We couldn’t reach the location of the trapped miners due to an obstruction, posing a serious risk to rescuers. We can't predict what might happen if we try to move further through that area,” Mulaudzi said.
The initial discovery of the trapped miners occurred on Saturday, when locals reported hearing screams coming from underground. Community leader Sisanda Mvula of the Jerusalema Informal Settlement said the community was aware of at least one Zimbabwean and one South African trapped underground.
Beyond the safety barriers established by the police, around 50 Jerusalema informal settlement residents watched the rescue attempts unfold. "People are very hurt because this thing started on Saturday around 02:00. We were here all night on Saturday. We stayed here with the police until yesterday morning. Maybe [the miners] are hurt. We want them to come [out] alive because they are also human beings," said Mvula.
Another community leader, Zibuse Memela, denounced zama zamas, adding that they should be arrested.
Mulaudzi explained that EMS could only go up to 15 metres underground, and that professional mining rescue services had to be called for any distance deeper than that. "The rescue operations which we are conducting here are very complex. It's challenging. It needs proper planning and coordination because there is always a risk of rescuers being injured," he said.
Mulaudzi added that rescuers' safety was being prioritised but added that they expect the worst in such operations.
As the search and rescue efforts have stalled, the fate of the two trapped miners remains uncertain, with little hope for their survival.
