Late on the night of 24 November, 14 zama zamas surfaced from deep underground at a disused mine in Stilfontein, where a major operation against illegal mining is ongoing. Police were guarding the shaft’s entrance and arrested them. One of the zama zamas gave his age as 14.
The miners were all Mozambican. Their clothes were torn and muddy. Some of them had bare feet. They had been climbing for several days up the giant steel girders that held a transport elevator in place when the mine was still operational.
The shaft is deeper than 1.5 km and no longer ventilated, emitting hot vapor that billows upwards like steam. The men were soaking wet and had cuts on their hands.
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