At least 31 suspected illegal miners, believed to be Basotho nationals, have died at a disused mine in Virginia in the Free State. The Mineral Resources Department announced yesterday that the group died last month in a ventilation shaft that was last operational in the 1990s. The department said the bodies are still underground, pending efforts with relevant stakeholders to retrieve them. Department inspectors have determined that dispatching a search team would be too risky, as current methane levels at the mine ventilation shaft remain high. illegal mining has been describes as a "plague" amid reports of rampant corruption, extortion and violence linked to zama-zama activity across the country. The miners have little in the way of safety equipment, and their tunnels are prone to collapsing. To talk to us about this we are joined on the line by Duncan Luvuno, National Union of Mineworkers - NUM's National Chairperson for Health and Safety
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