At least 31 suspected illegal miners, believed to be Basotho nationals, have lost their lives in a disused ventilation shaft of a mine in Virginia.
The Kingdom of Lesotho’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations relayed the message to the South African High Commission that, on 18 May, a group of suspected illegal miners died in a mine ventilation shaft that was last operational in the 1990s.
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is doing their best to act on the information received.
Working in collaboration with the previous owners of the mine, Harmony, DMRE inspectors have assessed the situation and determined that methane levels at the mine’s ventilation shaft are very high.
As such, it is currently too risky to dispatch a search team. However, various options are being considered to deal with he situation as quickly as possible.
Although this is a unique situation, all relevant stakeholders will make sure that the deceased and purportedly illegal miners will be brought to the surface.
