Two South African soldiers die chasing illegal miners

Two South African soldiers have died after falling down a mine shaft while pursuing illegal miners, marking the first military fatalities since President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops in March to support police operations against crime and illicit mining.

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The deaths are the first military fatalities since President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops in March to bolster police operations against crime and illegal mining.

The incident occurred at an abandoned mine west of Johannesburg on Friday. Soldiers were chasing suspected illegal miners, known locally as "zama zamas," when they fell into an open vertical shaft, according to police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe. The South African National Defence Force confirmed the incident happened around 6:00 a.m. local time, and efforts are underway to identify the soldiers and notify their families.

These clandestine artisanal miners, many of whom are undocumented migrants from neighboring countries, have established a significant presence in the informal settlements surrounding Johannesburg. Driven by poverty and high unemployment, the "zama zamas" delve deep into abandoned gold-bearing shafts or dig new ones. The sector is frequently associated with organized crime, including assassinations and extortion.

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The soldiers fell into an open vertical shaft at the abandoned mine.

Last week, security forces arrested over 200 individuals, predominantly undocumented foreign nationals, during a raid on a gold mine shaft near Johannesburg. The majority were from Lesotho, with Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, and South Africans also detained. This operation, codenamed "Operation Prosper," involves over 2,200 soldiers and is scheduled to last a year as South Africa intensifies its crackdown on undocumented migrants.

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zama zamas, which means “those who try” in the Zulu language, descend deep into still gold-bearing shafts abandoned by mining companies or dig out new ones.