An illegal miner who was at Stilfontein described James Neo Tshoaeli, also known as Tiger, as a brutal henchman, but certainly not one of the kingpins. ... Kingpins won’t go inside the shaft. ...

Relatives of miners and community members wait near an opening to a mine shaft in Stilfontein, in South Africa's North West province, Nov. 13, 2024. EMMANUEL CROSET/AFP/Getty ...

Zama Zama Patrick Ntsokolo was among those trapped underground in Stilfontein after police from Operation Vala Umgodi blocked deliveries to illegal miners. Whilst underground for 18 days, he saw ...

STILFONTEIN, South Africa. (AP) — Dozens of men sat and lay together in small caves, ... The miner, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals, ...

Rescue workers, left, remove a body from a reformed mineshaft where illegal miners are inside in Stilfontein, South Africa on Thursday. Jerome Delay/AP hide caption ...

‘We don’t have anyone we work for,’ says illegal miner who resurfaced from Stilfontein. By Thando Nondywana. Journalist 4 minute read. 20 November 2024. 07:20 am.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - A second miner has died in hospital after being pulled alive from an illegal South African gold mine from which 87 bodies were extracted, the government said Friday.

STILFONTEIN, South Africa — Dozens of men sat and lay together in small caves, some so shallow they couldn’t stand up. The air was wet and stuffy, and wracking coughs echoed in the confined space.

The miner said he was told he could earn about $5,300 for working for a few weeks to a month in one of the country's deepest gold mines, where there are no longer any official operations.

The description, from a miner and from cellphone videos sent to the surface earlier this month, ... in Stilfontein, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) ...