South African horror story: Miners trapped inside illegal gold mine resort to cannibalism 'out of desperation'

Reportedly, the authorities adopted a hardline approach by cutting off the food and water supply of the illegal miners to “smoke them out.”

Survivors trapped inside one of the deepest gold mines in South Africa have opened up about the horrors they faced while spending months without food and very little water. As per the Telegraph, a few rescued illegal miners recounted how some people resorted to the unthinkable ‘out of desperation’ and to stay alive - they turned to cannibalism.

An abandoned gold mine, where miners were rescued from below ground, in Stilfontein, South Africa. (AP)

“They cut parts of legs, arms, and ribs for sustenance. They decided it was their only remaining option for survival,” a survivor, who insisted he didn’t turn to cannibalism, told the outlet. He and his colleague claimed that they survived by eating cockroaches after they ran out of food.

“Month-long standoff”

Reportedly, the incident happened after the authorities cut off the food supply to the illegal miners for months to force them out of the old Buffelsfontein Gold Mine. This mining disaster has shocked and divided South Africa. Last week, 78 bodies and 246 survivors from abandoned shafts of the mine were rescued, reported the outlet.

In August, the police started blocking food and water from entering the mine where illegal miners were working. They are referred to as “zama zamas.” According to the outlet, this translates to “those who take a chance” or “those who try their luck.”

The government took a hardline approach to stop illegal mining operated by criminal gangs who recruit illegal miners. These workers risk their lives by searching for the leftover deposits in disused gold mines. In order to “smoke them out”, the authorities stopped the supplies, causing a lengthy standoff between police and illegal miners and subsequent deaths.

This approach did make more than 1,300 return to the surface and appear in court. However, according to the outlet, the locals and unions said that several people were trapped underground, with some too weak to move. After deliberation, the court finally ordered the authorities to provide humanitarian aid and rescue the remaining.

What followed next was horrifying, as the world saw body bags being hauled to the surface and the surviving skeletal miners emerging from the depths of the mines. These led to the accusations that this month-long standoff was a "massacre" committed by the police.

“How is the state responsible”

“If you go to a dangerous place such as a neglected mine and stay there for about three months, starving yourself to death, how does that become the responsibility of the state?” mining minister Gwede Mantashehe said in a statement.