Six illegal miners emerged at Shaft no 10 Buffels in Stilfontein in the early hours of Friday morning, 6 December.
Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed that the zama zamas are Mozambican nationals and are currently being processed.
Muddied and bruised, one illegal miner shared his ordeal, explaining that he had been underground since June 2024, voluntarily going to the abandoned mine to “try it out”.
He said they decided to return to the surface due to hunger. Despite food deliveries underground, the alleged Basotho bosses claimed most of it, leaving the miners with meager rations.
The illegal miner revealed that one packet of instant porridge was shared among six people, allocating each a half cup every 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the bosses ate freely and often.
“The bosses believe the police operation will end, and they will just continue working underground. Now everyone wants to come up, but the bosses have their own plans,” he said.
Speaking fluent Sesotho, the zama zama described the grueling three-day journey to resurface.
“We hadn’t eaten and were feasting on cockroaches on our way out. When we found cockroaches, we used gun lighters to cook them, added salt, and ate,” he said.
