A zama zama rescued at the abandoned Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein, North West, has narrated how he survived on toothpaste.
Thirty-two-year-old Gcina Lepheana, one of those pulled from the depths, spent a month underground, surviving on water, vinegar, salt, and toothpaste.
Zama Zama Details How He Survived On Toothpaste For A Month Underground At Buffelsfontein Gold Mine
Lepheana resurfaced on November 14, aided by a community-led rescue effort.
His rescue came after community members dropped a rope down the shaft, pulling him to safety. However, Lepheana’s ordeal was far from over. After receiving a brief medical check-up, police body-searched him but found no gold.
“I only remained with my shorts on. I had nothing on me. I had no gold on me,” he told Sunday World.
After the body-search, he was attended to by paramedics on standby near the abandoned mine and received a medical check-up.
“I was put on one drip and thereafter the paramedics told me I was fine. But I was not fine. I had spent the whole of October and part of November with no real food. Food was no longer coming down. I was weak and disorientated.“
Instead of being taken to safety, Lepheana claimed police told him to walk home despite his weakened state.
“It was around 7pm, and I had to walk almost 4km. I only managed 30 minutes before a motorist gave me a lift,” he added.
The Illegal Miners Scourge
Lepheana is one of 87 zama zamas, who resurfaced from Buffelsfontein this week. All others were arrested and charged with illegal mining. Among them was a 14-year-old Mozambican boy, now being handled under the Child Justice Act.
The police have intensified their crackdown on illegal mining through Operation Vala Umgodi. Since December last year, over 13,691 suspects have been arrested across seven provinces, and uncut diamonds worth R32 million have been seized.
Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu confirmed that efforts to rescue miners still trapped underground are ongoing. Mine rescue teams have deployed cameras to assess the shafts, with operations expected to conclude soon.