Illegal gold miners resorted to CANNIBALISM gorging on legs, arms & ribs while sealed underground during police siege
Survivors of one of South Africa’s deepest gold mines have openly discussed using cannibalism as a means of survival.
The abandoned Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, 150 kilometers outside Johannesburg, had served as a trap for the illegal gold miners.
During a nine-month confrontation with police, hundreds of men were stranded over a mile underground, with some of them hacking off their coworkers’ limbs to survive.
Last week, rescuers extracted 246 survivors and discovered 78 bodies from the shaft’s depths; two of them have since talked about the extreme lengths they went to in order to survive.
Two frail survivors told The Telegraph in private that many of the guys resorted to cannibalism in order to avoid malnutrition.
According to one, some of his fellow miners “resorted to cannibalism” after police blocked their access to food and water.
read more world news
Watch as Iran unveils biggest EVER war drone named The Gaza
Thousands of Palestinians return to ‘demolition site’ Gaza amid tense peace
“They cut parts of legs, arms, and ribs for sustenance,” the man, who wished to remain anonymous, stated.
“They decided it was their only remaining option for survival.”
The survivor and another survivor said that they had to consume cockroaches for survival, although the survivor denied that he personally engaged in such a prohibited behavior.
He would no longer eat meat because of the terrible conditions underneath, according to a rescuer who talked to the BBC.
After entering the mine, he discovered decaying corpses and reported cannibalism.
“Those bodies really smelled bad… they told me some of them had to eat other [people] inside the mine because there was no way they could find food,” he recalled.
“And they were also eating cockroaches.”
In July 2024, both of the survivors who have come forward went into the mine to work on utilizing ropes to bring additional food and drink to those below.
According to The Telegraph, they made about $400 a month as a result, which they said they intended to use to get security guard certifications and driver’s licenses.
In an effort to “smoke out” the illegal miners who enter abandoned gold mines in an effort to make money off of the leftovers, authorities began blocking meals in August.
According to the police, armed criminal gangs typically conduct such operations in the perplexing underground labyrinth, making it too risky for them to enter and confront them.
Although more than 1,300 miners voluntarily left the abandoned mine, the authorities repressed those who remained, always asserting that they could escape on their own.
Officials also asserted that individuals who remained underground throughout the months-long standoff were trying to evade arrest and deportation.
However, a number of organizations and entities, including unions, contended that the remaining miners required assistance since they were too weak to escape on their own because of the food blockade.
A mining company eventually hauled scores of body bags and malnourished miners to the surface after courts ordered relief to be supplied.
Miners near death were discovered too weak to move on their own and were taken out on stretchers, according to photos from the rescue.
“They would not have survived another two days down in the hole, so we managed to fit more into the cage because they were very dehydrated and had lost weight,” the rescuer told the BBC.
“If we didn’t get them out as quickly as possible, they would be dead.
“Those people were desperate for help, they were dying.”
“I must admit that I am traumatized. For the rest of my life, I will always remember seeing these folks,” he continued.
Because of their state, rescuers were able to squeeze 13 malnourished men into a cage that was only meant to hold seven.
According to Sabelo Mnguni, a spokeswoman for the MiningAffected Communities United in Action Group (MACUA), the deaths of the deceased are thought to have been caused by malnutrition or dehydration.
There have been accusations of a “massacre” by the government, and legislators have demanded an investigation.
A major trade union federation in the nation described it as “one of the most horrific displays of state wilful negligence in recent history.”
“If you go to a dangerous place like a neglected mine and stay there for about three months, starving yourself to death, how does that become the responsibility of the state?” stated Gwede Mantashehe, the government’s mining minister, in spite of the criticism.
After dishonest police personnel assisted the alleged mastermind of the entire Buffelsfontein operation in evading capture, the authorities have come under increased fire.
Deaths, attacks, and torture at the mine are allegedly the result of the illicit operation, which was allegedly led by James Neo Tshaeli of Lesotho.
The two miners who talked to The Telegraph claimed that Tshaeli, also known as “Tiger,” was “brutal” in his treatment of his employees, but he also allegedly kept food out of his workers’ reach.
Read More on The US Sun
Travis & Taylor passionately kiss as Chiefs win to reach Super Bowl
Pepsi removed from Costco food courts as drink returns for 1st time in 12 years
The two are currently out on bail after being accused with unlawful mining and gold possession.
Although police have not addressed the cannibalism allegations directly, they did tell the publication that every possibility would be investigated.