South Africa: Ramaphosa on abandoned mines emergency and miners' safety

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently expressed growing concern about the plight of miners trapped in the abandoned Stilfontein mines. Once again, the shadow of mining, the long-standing linchpin of South Africa’s economy, has come to haunt people’s minds, not only with its gold dust, but also with its unseen dangers. What about the safety of these workers? What measures are being taken to prevent a human catastrophe that could make headlines, but not those who care about the well-being of the miners?

The Simultaneous Realities of Mining

Alongside the mines blazing with profits, the other side of the coin is as gloomy as the black of the coal. The abandoned mines of Stilfontein are transformed into deadly playgrounds where individuals, often a few years old, try their hand at the adventure of searching for precious metals. An alarming situation that has not escaped the sharp eye of the president, who insisted on the need for immediate intervention by the competent authorities. Ramaphosa thus promised to strengthen regulatory efforts to protect these young people, often forced to brave death for crumbs of dignity.

A Reaction Will Remind Us Of What?

Ramaphosa’s reaction raises another question: what were the authorities doing before this media outburst? Far from being a simple isolated incident, the dangers of abandoned mines are a constant in the South African landscape. Far from being an unprecedented situation, these occurrences reflect years of neglect, where the promises of a future without suffering are crumbling in the bowels of the mines. Grand declarations of intent must now be translated into concrete actions. Only by highlighting the atrocities suffered by these miners will real awareness be initiated.

Promise of Change or Populism?

Ramaphosa, with his committed rhetoric, is part of a political tradition where acts of the heart often end up colliding with the brutality of pragmatism. Are promises of security and regulation just empty words, intended to appease guilty consciences? As always, promising speeches are as fragile as the handful of many miners defying the dangers. Until the promises are converted into real regulatory acts, these workers will have to continue to navigate the tightrope of their precarious existences.

It is high time for the South African government to take tangible action. The Stilfontein mines must not become mass graves for the future of the country’s youth. Light must be shed on their safety, but more importantly, on the economic conditions that push them to venture there. Let us hope that Ramaphosa’s words are not just empty echoes in the dark galleries of abandoned mines, but the beginning of real reform for the well-being of the miners and the whole of South African society.