Johannesburg - The prospect of a horrible death does not deter them. They have to eat. Their families have to eat.
So, day in and day out, Indwe villagers in Eastern Cape re-open disused coal shafts at a mine to eke out an income so they can provide for their families.
The risk to life is high as the old coal mine can collapse at any moment. But their desperation is even greater.
Indwe is a small town between Dordrecht and Elliot.
The mine belonged to white owners during the apartheid era and closed decades ago. However, due to rampant unemployment, residents of Indwe have taken it upon themselves to re-open the mine, in the mountain just above the town. They’ve renamed it “Emigodini” (Mines).
To unlock the mine’s treasure, these desperate prospectors use pickaxes and spades as excavation tools.
The mine is dotted with caves opening up to deep, dark and narrow tunnels.
The danger is that deep cracks line tunnel walls; a reminder of the fragility of the miners’ undertaking.
The miners use candles to light the way. Our sister newspaper the Weekend Argus gets a guided tour. To move, you need to crawl - your head millimetres from scraping against the rock canopy. Flimsy wooden pillars support the walls to prevent it caving in.
The only sounds are the monotonous thud of pickaxes and the grinding of wheelbarrows. The coal is sold to people making bricks and clay pots.
Back above ground, we speak to miner Dicks Hlekiso, 48, from Mavuya township at Indwe, who is partially deaf.
He has been working in the mine for 10 years. He has three children to support.
“It is the only job I could find to support my family. Nobody wants to employ me because of my disability.”
Dicks earns R80 for 15 wheelbarrows of coal.
Vuyani Tyilana, 57, is one of the first “prospectors”. He started working at the illegal mine after he lost a job as a mineworker in Johannesburg.
When they started out, they called this business “Vukuzenzele” (wake up and do something for yourself).
He said even though there are no safety measures, miners can avoid the dangers by taking precautions.
Since the Weekend Argus visited the mine at the end of last year, there have been three deaths reported after a part of the mine caved in.
The miners said there is nothing they can do - this is the only way they can support their families.