Standoff in South Africa ends with 87 miners dead and anger over police’s ‘smoke them out’ tactics

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An illegal miner rescued from an abandoned gold mine is assisted by paramedics and police officers in Stilfontein, South Africa, on January 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 17 January 2025
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Standoff in South Africa ends with 87 miners dead and anger over police’s ‘smoke them out’ tactics

  • Authorities had refused to help the miners who were working illegally in the abandoned mine
  • By the time they were compelled to act on orders of a court, dozens of miners have died
  • The mine is one of the deepest in South Africa and is a maze of tunnels and levels and has several shafts leading into it

STILFONTEIN, South Africa: The death toll in a monthslong standoff between police and miners trapped while working illegally in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa has risen to at least 87, police said Thursday. Authorities faced growing anger and a possible investigation over their initial refusal to help the miners and instead “smoke them out” by cutting off their food supplies.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said that 78 bodies were retrieved in a court-ordered rescue operation, with 246 survivors also pulled out from deep underground since the operation began on Monday. Mathe said nine other bodies had been recovered before the rescue operation, without giving details.
Community groups launched their own rescue attempts when authorities said last year they would not help the hundreds of miners because they were “criminals.”
The miners are suspected to have died of starvation and dehydration, although no causes of death have been released.

South African authorities have been fiercely criticized for cutting off food and supplies to the miners in the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine last year. That tactic to “smoke them out,” as described by a prominent Cabinet minister, was condemned by one of South Africa’s biggest trade unions.
Police and the mine owners were also accused of taking away ropes and dismantling a pulley system the miners used to enter the mine and send supplies down from the surface.
A court ordered authorities last year to allow food and water to be sent down to the miners, while another court ruling last week forced them to launch a rescue operation.
 

 

Many say the unfolding disaster underground was clear weeks ago, when community members sporadically pulled decomposing bodies out of the mine, some with notes attached pleading for food to be sent down.
“If the police had acted earlier, we would not be in this situation, with bodies piling up,” said Johannes Qankase, a local community leader. “It is a disgrace for a constitutional democracy like ours. Somebody needs to account for what has happened here.”
South Africa’s second biggest political party, which is part of a government coalition, called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish an independent inquiry to find out “why the situation was allowed to get so badly out of hand.”
“The scale of the disaster underground at Buffelsfontein is rapidly proving to be as bad as feared,” the Democratic Alliance party said.
Authorities now believe that nearly 2,000 miners were working illegally in the mine near the town of Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, since August last year. Most of them resurfaced on their own over the last few months, police said, and all the survivors have been arrested, even as some emerged this week badly emaciated and barely able to walk to waiting ambulances.
A convoy of mortuary vans arrived at the mine to carry away the bodies.
Mathe said at least 13 children had also come out of the mine before the official rescue operation.




Community members and workers protest during the rescue operation to retrieve illegal miners from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. (AFP)

Police announced Wednesday that they were ending the operation after three days and believed no one else was underground. To be sure, a camera was sent down Thursday in a cage that was used to pull out survivors and bodies.
Two volunteer rescuers from the community had gone down in the small cage during the rescue operation to help miners as authorities refused to allow any official rescue personnel to go into the shaft because it was too dangerous.
“It has been a tough few days, there were many people who (we) saved but I still feel bad for those whose family members came out in body bags,” said Mandla Charles, one of the volunteer rescuers. “We did all we could.” The two volunteers were being offered trauma counselling, police said.
The mine is one of the deepest in South Africa and is a maze of tunnels and levels and has several shafts leading into it. The miners were working up to 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) underground in different groups.
Police have maintained that the miners were able to come out through several shafts but refused out of fear of being arrested. That’s been disputed by groups representing the miners, who say hundreds were trapped and left starving in dark and damp conditions with decomposing bodies around them.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu denied in an interview with a national TV station that the police were responsible for any starvation and said they had allowed food to go down.
The initial police operation last year to force the miners to come out and give themselves up for arrest was part of a larger nationwide clampdown on illegal mining called Vala Umgodi, or Close the Hole. Illegal mining is often in the news in South Africa and a major problem for authorities as large groups go into mines that have been shut down to extract leftover deposits.




Mametlwe Sebei (C), president of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa, joins community members and workers in a protest during the rescue operation to retrieve illegal miners from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. (AFP)

Gold-rich South Africa has an estimated 6,000 abandoned or closed mines.
The illicit miners, known as “zama zamas” — “hustlers” or “chancers” in the Zulu language — are usually armed and part of criminal syndicates, the government says, and they rob South Africa of more than $1 billion a year in gold deposits. They are often undocumented foreign nationals and authorities said that the vast majority who came out of the Buffelsfontein mine were from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, and were in South Africa illegally.
Police said they seized gold, explosives, firearms and more than $2 million in cash from the miners and have defended their hard-line approach.
“By providing food, water and necessities to these illegal miners, it would be the police entertaining and allowing criminality to thrive,” Mathe said Wednesday.
But the South African Federation of Trade Unions questioned the government’s humanity and how it could “allow anyone — be they citizens or undocumented immigrants — to starve to death in the depths of the earth.”
While the police operation has been condemned by civic groups, the disaster hasn’t provoked a strong outpouring of anger across South Africa, where the mostly foreign zama zamas have long been considered unwelcome in a country that already struggles with high rates of violent crime.
 


NATO defense buildup must ‘outpace Russia’: US envoy

Updated 8 sec ago
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NATO defense buildup must ‘outpace Russia’: US envoy

“The urgency of this moment is undeniable as the Russia-Ukraine conflict grinds on, Moscow is already preparing for its next move,” Whitaker told journalists
“NATO allies must outpace Russia. We have no other choice. Let me be clear, the time is now“

BRUSSELS: NATO’s push to ramp up defenses must outstrip Russia’s rearmament drive as Moscow is already gearing up for its “next move” beyond Ukraine, the US ambassador to the alliance said Wednesday.

The warning came ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers Thursday that will seek to forge a deal on hiking military spending for a summit later this month.

US President Donald Trump has called on Washington’s allies to commit to spending five percent of their GDP on defense.

NATO chief Mark Rutte looks on track to secure a compromise deal agreement at the upcoming summit in the Hague for 3.5 percent of GDP on core military spending, and 1.5 percent on broader security-related areas such as infrastructure.

“The urgency of this moment is undeniable as the Russia-Ukraine conflict grinds on, Moscow is already preparing for its next move,” US ambassador Matthew Whitaker told journalists.

“We are already seeing the Kremlin aims to rebuild its military. NATO allies must outpace Russia. We have no other choice. Let me be clear, the time is now.”

Whitaker said “the United States expects every ally to step up with concrete plans, budgets, timelines, deliverables, to meet the five percent target.”

“This is not going to be just a pledge. This is going to be a commitment. Every ally must commit to investing at least five percent of GDP in defense and security, starting now again, this is not a suggestion,” he said.

The US envoy said that Washington remained committed to NATO’s Article Five mutual defense clause — but expected allies to step up their spending.

“We will defend every inch of allied territory, and we will do it from a position of unmatched
strength,” Whitaker said.

NATO ministers will sign off at their meeting in Brussels on new capability targets for the weaponry needed to face the threat from Russia.

“We are going to take a huge leap forward,” Rutte said.

“These targets set out what forces and concrete capabilities the allies need.”

Rutte said he was “absolutely, positively convinced” that NATO countries would agree to a new spending deal in The Hague.

The NATO chief insisted that the United States “have made totally clear their commitment to Article Five.”

He similarly insisted that Washington remained committed to backing Ukraine despite defense secretary Pete Hegseth skipping a meeting of Kyiv’s backers in Brussels on Wednesday.

Indonesia weighing buying Chinese J-10 fighter jets 

Updated 28 min 10 sec ago
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Indonesia weighing buying Chinese J-10 fighter jets 

  • Indonesian minister says will factor in reports Pakistani J-10 shot down multiple Indian jets in May 
  • Indonesia has in recent years embarked on efforts to modernize its aging military hardware

JAKARTA: Indonesia is weighing buying China’s J-10 fighter jets, given their relatively cheaper price and advanced capability, as it also considers finalizing a purchase of US-made F-15EX jets, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Southeast Asia’s most populous country has in recent years embarked on efforts to modernize its aging military hardware. 

In 2022 it bought 42 French Rafale jets worth $8.1 billion, six of which will be delivered next year.

“We have had talks with China and they offered us a lot, not just J-10, but also ships, arms, frigates,” said Deputy Defense Minister and retired Air Marshal Donny Ermawan Taufanto.

“We’re evaluating J-10,” Taufanto said, adding that Jakarta was reviewing system compatibility and after-sales support as well as pricing.

A potential purchase has been considered for over a year, before the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, but Taufanto said Indonesia would factor in reports that a Pakistani J-10 plane shot down multiple Indian jets last month.

Jakarta also continues to consider whether to proceed with the next step for its purchase of F-15EX fighters, he said, following the defense ministry’s deal with planemaker Boeing for the sale in 2023.

Taufanto said the US jets’ capabilities were well recorded, but suggested the offered price of $8 billion for 24 planes remained in question.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta last week that they had signed a preliminary defense pact that could lead to new orders of French hardware including Rafale jets.

“We’re considering (France’s) offer. We’re considering our own budget, we’re evaluating, especially given we have other options like J-10, F-15,” Taufanto said.


Ukraine’s Zelensky suggests truce until meeting with Putin can be arranged

Updated 42 min 40 sec ago
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Ukraine’s Zelensky suggests truce until meeting with Putin can be arranged

  • “We propose to Russians a ceasefire until the leaders meet,” Zelensky told a briefing in Kyiv

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday proposed implementing a ceasefire until such time as a meeting can be arranged with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“My proposal, which I believe our partners can support, is that we propose to Russians a ceasefire until the leaders meet,” Zelensky told a briefing in Kyiv.

June 2 peace talks with Russia in Istanbul made little progress toward ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine, apart from an exchange of proposals and a plan for a major swap of prisoners of war, which Zelensky said would take place this weekend.


’Why this hatred’: French town reels over killing of Tunisian man

Updated 37 min 31 sec ago
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’Why this hatred’: French town reels over killing of Tunisian man

  • Tributes have poured in from shocked neighbors and friends mourning the murder of Hichem Miraoui
  • His killer posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack

PUGET-SUR-ARGENS, France: The murder of a Tunisian man by his French neighbor in southern France, which is being investigated as a terror crime, has horrified the local community and raised alarm over rising racism in the country.
Tributes poured in from shocked neighbors and friends mourning the murder of Hichem Miraoui, with more than a dozen bouquets placed outside the barbershop where he worked in the quiet town of Puget-sur-Argens.
“I don’t understand why he was killed. Why all this hatred?” said Sylvia Elvasorre, a 65-year-old pensioner who lives next to the hair salon, tears in her eyes.
Marwouen Gharssalli, 43, echoed her disbelief, saying his friend was generous and willing to lend a helping hand.
“He even cut hair for free when people couldn’t pay... he regularly used to cut my son’s hair,” said Gharssalli, a welder in the southern town.
A card signed by fellow shopkeepers said the death of Miraoui — remembered as hard-working and warm — would “leave a void.”
Christophe B., a French national, shot and killed Miraoui, 46, on Saturday evening before injuring another neighbor, a Turkish national. The suspect, born in 1971, was arrested after his partner alerted police.
He posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier.
A silent march is planned in Puget-sur-Argens on Sunday to affirm the city’s “absolute rejection of hatred and our commitment to respect, tolerance and fraternity,” said a town hall statement.
The shooting followed the murder of a Malian man in a mosque in April, also in southern France, while the burning of a Qur'an near Lyon at the weekend has further fueled concerns over rising anti-Muslim attacks in the country.
“People are stunned that a racist crime like this could happen. This kind of thing is not part of Puget’s culture,” said Paul Boudoube, the town’s mayor.
Miraoui was in a video call with family planning for the major Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, when he was shot
“He was joking with our sick mother when I heard him grunt and the call ended,” said Hanen Miraoui, the victim’s sister.
According to French daily Le Parisien, the suspect in Miraoui’s murder said he “swore allegiance to the French flag” and called on the French to “shoot” people of foreign origin in one of his videos posted on social media.
Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the investigation into the case, the first such racist attack linked to the far right to be dealt with as “terrorism” since their office was set up in 2019.
“It means that investigative resources will be devoted to analizing the political motives behind this act and how this person became radicalized,” said the legal head of the anti-discrimination group SOS Racisme, Zelie Heran, who praised the referral.
Following the murder, political and religious leaders have sounded the alarm over growing anti-Muslim acts in France, which increased by 72 percent in the first quarter, with 79 recorded cases, according to interior ministry figures.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is taking an increasingly hard line on immigration issues, has faced accusations of not being firm enough against such crimes and even fueling a racist climate.
But he said on Tuesday that the killing of Miraoui was “clearly a racist crime,” “probably also anti-Muslim” and “perhaps also a terrorist crime.”
Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, called on French President Emmanuel Macron to speak out.
“It is time to hold accountable the promoters of this hatred who, in political and media circles, act with complete impunity and incite extremely serious acts,” said Hafiz.
“Remind people of the reality that we are citizens of this country,” said Hafiz.
France is home to the largest Muslim community in the European Union, as well as the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States.
There has also been a rise in reported attacks against members of France’s Jewish community since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Israeli military responded with a devastating military offensive on the Gaza Strip.
France’s Holocaust memorial and three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalized with paint on Saturday.


Barred for Gaza speech, MIT grad becomes symbol of courage for Indian students

Updated 40 min 15 sec ago
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Barred for Gaza speech, MIT grad becomes symbol of courage for Indian students

  • Indian-American 2025 class president calls out MIT for ‘aiding and abetting genocide’
  • Her speech and MIT’s reaction gained global attention and media spotlight in India

NEW DELHI: When Megha Vemuri denounced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for ties to Israel’s military, she was barred from the university’s graduation — an incident that resonated in her ancestral India, where students say she inspires them to stand up for Palestinian liberation.

The Indian-American class president of 2025, Vemuri addressed an MIT commencement ceremony last week.

“Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza. We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth. And it is a shame that MIT is a part of it,” she said, wearing a keffiyeh over her gown.

Without naming Vemuri, the MIT said in a statement right after the event that the “graduating senior” would not be permitted at the degree ceremony the next day.

While the speech got her barred from campus, it soon gained global media attention.

In India, Vemuri’s ancestry put her in the media spotlight, at the same time drawing attention to Israel’s ongoing deadly onslaught on Gaza — where, over the past year and a half, tens of thousands of people have been killed, critically wounded, and starved by Israel’s daily attacks and aid blockades.

“A lot more of the Indian media covered it, and people get to know and hear what’s happening … more and more people are realizing that this is not something you can be silent about,” Sreeja Dontireddy, a student at the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad, told Arab News.

“I think what Megha Vemuri did was commendable and necessary at the same time … If you are given such a platform … and if you do not speak about Palestine, it would be a grave injustice.”

Vemuri said in a statement to the media that she was not disappointed that she did not get to walk the stage with her classmates.

“For two entire graduation seasons, over two years now, thousands of bright Gazan students should have been able to walk across a stage and receive their diplomas. These students did not get to walk because Israel murdered them, displaced them from their homes, and destroyed their schools,” she said.

“I am, however, disappointed that MIT’s officials massively overstepped their roles to punish me without merit or due process, with no indication of any specific policy broken. These repressive measures are proof that the university is guilty of aiding and abetting genocide … They want to distract from what is happening in Palestine and their role in it.”

For Akriti Chaudhary and Himanshu Thakur, recent history graduates from Delhi University, their MIT peer’s protest was something that inspired them to raise their voices more.

“Being a politically aware person, I feel really, really proud and really happy about people speaking up for the Palestinian cause,” Chaudhary said.

“It was difficult to digest the fact that she was barred from her own graduation ceremony … They want to curb all kinds of protest and all kinds of dissent. But it never works that way. It only inspires people to step in and talk about the situation.”

It also inspires them to call things what they really are, “to speak about (the Israeli) occupation, and to call a spade a spade, to call occupation an occupation,” Thakur added. “We need more such voices to come forward, not only in the US but also in India … We need more Meghas in our campuses.”

The opportunity created by Vemuri’s MIT speech is also one for renewed momentum in activism in India.

Priyambada, a physics student and coordinator of BDS India — a group advancing the global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign in the country — believes their efforts will be strengthened.

“How can you punish someone for speaking against genocide?” she said.

“This is giving strength to students across the world and giving us the opportunity to stand by Megha and Palestinian liberation … All colleges and universities, students from everywhere and people who believe in justice should come forward.”