Specialised teams deployed to Rustenburg mining site collapse

By Levy Masiteng

Specialised police teams have been deployed to the Nkaneng dumping site near Rustenburg as authorities continue rescue, recovery and investigative operations following the collapse that killed 14 suspected illegal miners.

Police are also investigating how the miners gained access to the site, where a company had been granted permission to recover platinum group metals (PGM).

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The 14 miners died after part of an excavated section collapsed on Monday night while they were allegedly digging manually for PGMs.

North West SAPS Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Arthur Adams said police were alerted to the incident at about 21h00.

“A group of suspected zama-zamas was conducting an illegal mining operation at a dumping site,” Adams said.

He said a company had been granted a permit to extract PGMs at the site, but the suspected illegal miners were allegedly working inside