Fourteen Miners Killed as Walls Collapse at Abandoned South African Mine

South African police has confirmed that 14 illegal miners died with scores of others injured when the walls of a disused mine near Rustenburg in the North West province collapsed, with some people still trapped underground as rescue teams make their way to the scene.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the walls of the abandoned shaft in Nkaneng caved in while a group of illegal miners, often referred to as zama zamas, were working underground, effectively swallowing them. Several others sustained injuries and a number remained trapped. A senior provincial police official, including newly appointed North West Commissioner Lieutenant-General Arthur Peter Adams, was travelling to the site as authorities worked to establish the full extent of the incident and recover those still below ground.

The cause of the collapse remained under investigation, with limited additional details released in the immediate aftermath. Mine rescue teams had been dispatched to assist with the recovery operation. The bodies of the 14 deceased were discovered at the disused mining site close to the Nkaneng informal settlement in the Marikana area.

Illegal mining has long posed a persistent challenge across South Africa, involving both small-scale opportunistic extraction and more organised criminal networks. Undocumented miners frequently enter shafts abandoned by commercial operators in search of remaining mineral deposits, sometimes operating under the control of violent gangs.

The practice results in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual losses to the government and the formal mining industry through unpaid taxes, royalties and diverted production, while also creating severe safety risks for those working without proper equipment, ventilation or structural support.

Police and rescue services continue to prioritise the recovery of the injured and any remaining trapped individuals while gathering information about the precise circumstances of the collapse. Further updates are expected once officials on the ground complete their initial assessment and recovery efforts progress.