DMPR confirms illegal miners’ deaths in Rustenburg occurred at licensed site
In January 2025, South Africa was jolted by one of its deadliest illegal mining disasters when 78 bodies were recovered from a disused shaft in Stilfontein, south‑west of Johannesburg – victims trapped underground after a nationwide police sweep on shuttered sites exposed the lethal underside of an industry once hailed as the backbone of the economy.
The Department of Mineral Resources and Petroleum (DMPR) has confirmed that the deaths of illegal miners at an abandoned mine in Rustenburg, in the North West province, occurred within the boundaries of an area where a valid mining permit has been issued.
The DMPR confirms that the incident occurred within the boundaries of an area where a valid mining permit has been issued.
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