Summary

South African authorities have cut off food and water to force up to 4,000 illegal miners, known as “zama zamas,” to surface from an abandoned mine shaft in Stilfontein.

The government, calling these miners “criminals,” has pledged not to assist them, with Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni warning, “We are going to smoke them out.”

Over 1,000 miners have resurfaced and been arrested under the “Vala Umgodi” operation.

Illegal mining, fueled by declining gold production, often involves violent crime and hazardous conditions in abandoned mines.