{"id":94321,"date":"2025-01-18T10:31:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-18T08:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=94321"},"modified":"2025-01-18T10:32:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T08:32:17","slug":"rescue-operations-at-buffelsfontein-mine-conclude-with-87-dead-and-246-rescued-macua-calls-for-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/rescue-operations-at-buffelsfontein-mine-conclude-with-87-dead-and-246-rescued-macua-calls-for-accountability\/","title":{"rendered":"Rescue operations at Buffelsfontein Mine conclude with 87 dead and 246 rescued, MACUA calls for accountability"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(File: AP Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n18 January 2025 |10:30 CAT
\n2 min read<\/p>\n

Rescue operations at the Buffelsfontein mine in Stilfontein have officially concluded, with 78 bodies recovered and 246 miners rescued alive. The death toll, including earlier discoveries, has risen to a devastating 87. Some remains could not be retrieved due to hazardous conditions underground, but authorities have pledged to continue efforts in the days ahead to recover them.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the tragedy on Radio Islam, Sabelo Mnguni, national administrator of Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA), acknowledged the rescue team\u2019s efforts, saying, \u201cWe welcomed and appreciated the effort that was done by the Mine Rescue Services team. They were very effective and dedicated to what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mnguni emphasised the importance of accountability, noting that tragedies like this are rooted in systemic failures. \u201cSuch situations are created by the lack of proper mine closure by mining companies and the state\u2019s failure to follow up with mining companies to ensure they do proper mine closure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He highlighted the role of legislation in mining operations, particularly the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), which mandates community development, proper mine decommissioning, and rehabilitation. \u201cThe lesson in Stilfontein is that the continuous neglect of mine closure creates an environment where we find ourselves dealing with illegal mining,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Discussing the plight of zama zamas\u2014artisanal miners who operate in abandoned mines\u2014Mnguni pointed out that these miners are often victims of systemic neglect. \u201cThe reality is that the state and these corporations have to ensure that mining communities and their children don\u2019t see underground as their only future,\u201d he said. He called for the provision of socioeconomic opportunities to break this cycle of dependency.<\/p>\n

Mnguni criticised the lack of support for artisanal miners, referencing a stalled pilot project aimed at formalising artisanal mining. He explained that the state created a policy, but when you look at it, it continues to economically exclude those who are disadvantaged. He also highlighted the need for a shift in perspective about illegality in mining. \u201cIf a commercial mine violates environmental and mining conditions, isn\u2019t that illegal? But illegality seems to only exist at the lower class, the working class,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n

The Buffelsfontein mine tragedy underscores the urgent need for accountability, better enforcement of regulations, and efforts to uplift mining-affected communities. Mnguni hopes to see the sector being decriminalised and legalised.<\/p>\n

LISTEN<\/strong> to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and MACUA\u2019s Sabelo Mnguni, here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za 18 January 2025 |10:30 CAT 2 min read Rescue operations at the Buffelsfontein mine in Stilfontein have officially concluded, with 78 bodies recovered and 246 miners rescued alive. The death toll, including earlier discoveries, has risen to a devastating 87. Some remains could not be retrieved due to hazardous conditions underground, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":94322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP-South-Africa-Dead-Miners-450x300-1.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-oxj","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-15 03:47:50","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}