Thousands of South African Miners Stay Underground, Fearing Deportation

Over 4,000 miners in South Africa are refusing to surface due to fears of deportation, according to reports from the African Initiative news agency.

Hiding in mines in the Stilfontein area, these workers have been engaging in illegal mineral mining. For three weeks, they have remained underground to evade law enforcement, which has restricted their communication with the surface.

Local residents report severe shortages of food and water among the miners, with reports of sickness and fatalities. Authorities have not provided detailed comments on the next steps in the operation.

So far, over 800 illegal miners, mostly foreign nationals, have been detained by police.