Emergency responders in Roodepoort are working tirelessly to save two men trapped in a collapsed mining shaft at the Rand Leases gold mine.
Roodepoort rescue operations underway to save the lives of illegal miners
The pair, believed to be illegal miners, have been stuck underground since Saturday evening. Complicating the operation, elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels inside the shaft have forced rescuers to reassess their approach.
Florida Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Farhaad Sardiwalla said he received an urgent call from a community member at around 19:00 on Saturday, reporting the incident.
“I rushed to the scene and came across what appears to be an air vent shaft. I could hear faint shouting emanating from the shaft,” Sardiwalla explained.
He immediately alerted Florida police and Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services (CoJEMS), who arrived at the scene.
Initial assessments determined that the collapse occurred approximately 60 metres underground, and the men are believed to be trapped even deeper.
According to CoJEMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi, the rescue operation now falls under the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), as CoJEMS is only authorised to conduct rescues up to a depth of two meters.
“The scene has been taken over by DMR, and we are here to support them. Mine Rescue Services are on scene and assessing the best way forward,” Mulaudzi said.
Attempts to retrieve the men were briefly halted after high CO₂ levels were detected in the shaft, raising serious concerns about the safety of both the trapped miners and the rescuers.
On arrival at the site, journalists from the Roodepoort Record reported hearing faint moaning from underground, but the condition of the miners remains unclear.
Community members claimed the men, who live in the Jerusalema informal settlement, were initially out collecting firewood when they discovered the shaft and fashioned a makeshift ladder out of discarded tyres to climb down.
This rescue attempt comes just weeks after a large-scale government-led operation in Stilfontein, North West, where at least 78 illegal miners lost their lives in an abandoned mine shaft.
The Stilfontein operation, which spanned several months, initially aimed to retrieve trapped miners but quickly became a recovery mission after rescuers reported no further survivors.
The grim discovery of human remains deep underground painted a chilling picture of the dangers associated with illegal mining.
While more than 216 illegal miners were successfully rescued and subsequently arrested in Stilfontein, authorities faced logistical challenges in retrieving bodies from the hazardous tunnels.
Unlike Stilfontein, where hundreds were trapped, the Roodepoort incident involves only two miners, but rescuers say the operation is proving just as challenging due to the depth of the collapse and the toxic air levels inside the shaft.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, with Mine Rescue Services expected to provide further updates on the next course of action.
