Crime & Justice
CROSS-SPECTRUM
Deadly incident at abandoned Rustenburg mine leaves 14 illegal miners dead and many injured
Police said 14 undocumented miners were killed and dozens more wounded after an accident at a disused mine near Rustenburg, North West province.
Authorities reported that 14 illegal miners died and a large number of others were injured following an incident at an abandoned mine close to Rustenburg. A senior provincial police official was sent to the scene to oversee the response. The tragedy highlights the entrenched problem of illicit mining, often run by violent gangs, which costs the government and mining firms hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Why it matters
The loss of lives and injuries highlight the human and economic costs of illegal mining in South Africa.
In this story
illegal miningmine accidentdeathsinjuriesRustenburgNorth West provincepolicecriminal gangslost revenue