Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has accused the government of the Kingdom of Lesotho of economic sabotage.
This is after the discovery of 31 zama-zamas (illegal miners) were found dead at a disused mine in Welkom, Free State.
The ministry said it received a report that at least 31 suspected illegal miners, who are believed to be Basotho nationals, died in a ventilation Shaft 5 Virginia mine.
Lesotho’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations relayed this message to the High Commission of South Africa that on 18 May 2023, a group of suspected illegal miners died in a mine ventilation shaft, which was last operational in the 1990s.
Mantashe said they were alerted to the incident by the Lesotho government, whose officials even prescribed how to bring the dead miners to the surface.
Asked why it took that long for the South African government to learn about the incident after it happened last month, Mantashe said Harmony has rehabilitated that mine, closed all the shafts, and only left that old ventilation open.
“When we talked to Harmony, they said they saw dust coming out of the ventilation on 17 May 2023, which they think was the day of the methane explosion, but they could not suspect anything because it was a mine that was closed. Only on 25 May 2023 they received a message from the consulate of Lesotho that there is a possibility that 31 miners died there,” he said.
Mantashe said the tricky side of the story is that South Africa has no access to any information on this matter. Subsequent to that, he had established contact with the minister of mineral resources in Lesotho, who had more information because those who escaped ran to Lesotho to report the incident.
“On Thursday, the Lesotho government sent me the minister of mineral resources in Welkom, and he made a suggestion which sounded very strange to me that we let us allow these illegal miners to go and retrieve those bodies. I asked him a very straightforward question: should we send people to a methane-infested shaft knowingly? What happens if more people die? Will you take responsibility? Only then did he wake up to the reality that methane does kill. It is a very dangerous gas.
“The mine and the department are looking for various options to make that area safe. Like, for example, to open one of the safe shafts to allow air to circulate and possibly reduce methane. If that happens, we are hoping to retrieve those bodies,” said Mantashe.
He said when he met the minister of Lesotho in the Mining Indaba, he suggested that they discuss the issue on the table, but they have not had that discussion.
Mantashe said the minister is not keen, but he added that they will still put a proposal through.
“This incident has confirmed our view that illegal-mining activities are economic sabotage. It is war on our economy and, therefore, those who die there are almost like soldiers dying in combat,” Mantashe said.
The department said although information on this tragic situation comes sporadically, they are doing their utmost best to act on the information, including information regarding three bodies, which have been reported to be retrieved and brought to the surface by other illegal miners.
Working in collaboration with the previous owners of the mine, Harmony and inspectors from the department have assessed the situation and determined that methane levels at the mine ventilation shaft 5 are very high.
“As such, it is currently too risky to dispatch a search team to the shaft. However, we are considering various options to speedily deal with the situation. Although this is a unique and strange situation, all relevant stakeholders will endeavour to ensure that the suspected deceased illegal miners are brought to the surface,” said the department.
It is estimated that the South African economy and the mining sector lost approximately R49 billion in 2019 to illegal mining. It is further estimated that mining companies spend over R2 billion on security just to prevent these illicit activities.