A suspected gang leader known as “Tiger” escaped police custody after being pulled from an illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, where a deadly mining tragedy claimed at least 78 lives. The incident has raised questions about corruption within South Africa’s police force and the handling of illegal mining activities.
According to Athlenda Mathe, a national police spokesperson, “Tiger,” a Lesotho national, was supposed to be escorted to the nearest police station after emerging from a deep mine shaft last week. However, during a routine inspection, a senior officer discovered that “Tiger” was missing from the holding cells. Preliminary investigations suggest he was deliberately released by someone in the police force between Shaft 11 and the station.
The police have launched a manhunt for the fugitive and are investigating potential internal collusion that facilitated his escape. Meanwhile, three other suspected gang leaders have been apprehended.
The escape has drawn widespread criticism, particularly as it follows a months-long siege by police on the illegal mine. Authorities had cut off food and water to force miners out, a strategy condemned by human rights advocates. The operation culminated in a state-led rescue effort last week, which retrieved 246 survivors. Many were found emaciated and weak, with some miners alleging that gang leaders had hoarded food supplies underground.
South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana defended the state’s approach, rejecting blame for the deaths. “You have got people who voluntarily entered mines and did some illegal activities and in the process died inside those mines. To then come back and say the state is going to take the blame for that, in my view, is misplaced,” he stated during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Illegal mining, locally known as “zama zama,” has become a major issue in South Africa. Thousands of people, often recruited from neighboring countries like Lesotho, risk their lives mining gold in abandoned industrial sites. Many of these operations are run by Lesotho-based gangs that exploit vulnerable individuals, often without revealing the dangerous conditions involved.
This tragic event underscores the urgent need for systemic reform in South Africa’s fight against illegal mining and the apparent corruption within law enforcement that undermines these efforts. The escape of “Tiger” adds to the mounting challenges facing authorities as they grapple with illegal activities and their devastating consequences.
