Footage shows trapped miners, dead bodies underground in Stilfontein

This is a huge tragedy, these are human beings with families, but at the end of the day some men were illegally in our country, some not, but our country cannot allow criminals to hold us to randsom and in the process harm themselves

Sad but little sympathy

What if we: Stop food & water supply to prisoners? Will that be the same thing?

About time the dept got it's backside into gear to rescue the human beings. And to all who applaud the cruelty and decry the illegal miners, remember: "there but for the grace of God" before condemning those trying to eke out a living and applauding the cruelty of starvation by our authorities.

How the heck did they get in there in the first place, does any-one know how deep 2 km really is. When it was a proper mine there was machinery called head gear that lowered and lifted people and things down that shaft. That in your picture is like a few bits of string compared with what should be

Thus is terrible. In a country with such high unemployment, what are people to do to earn money and feed their families? Desperation! And then, after working in such abject and dangerous conditions, they're left to starve. Where's the humanity.

Who is the “someone” who destroyed the pulley system which allowed the miners to get out? The police? this is murder and if they had policed the miners systematically not allowing them access to the mine, the situation would not have occurred. Inefficient, inconsistent and inappropriate.

The sling/pulley rig in photo, said to have been set up by SAPS, is non compliant with the OHS Act in many aspects. Why has Department of Labour not acted against the SAPS?

First of all the shaft was originally sealed with a cement slab so how did they get down there they had to break the slab. the shaft was sealed because it is dangerous, even for the people who now have to rescue the miners. They were also give ample opportunity to come out but refused.

I am curious as to just how did the miners that were rescued after two months were able charge their phones and take videos... Surely the videos were not taken hours or a few days after the raid before phones died, otherwise the deaths would not be directly linked to the raid? What am I missing?

Despite the ongoing rhetoric surrounding the trapped so called 'miners', which they are not, the truth of the matter is they remain trespassing, illegal criminals and mostly immigrants . Their plight is of their own making and consequence. They were not deliberately deprived of food and water.

YOU KNOW WHAT PEOPLE! The mine companies that own these properties should be held accountable for firstly allowing such a situation to develop on their mining rights, and secondly, for not getting these illegals out when this all started many years ago and capping the mine! Damn it!

Just a reminder, this is the ANC government that shot miners and now starves them to death, and that with great bombast rushes to the ICC.

They are not trapped

That so called pulley system is made with fabric instead of cables, to deliver supplies 2km underground. Incompetence of the highest order.

What all the bleeding hearts forget is NAIL the bosses behind the syndicates and the supply chain that buys their gold for export through the Dubai laundromat. THAT is where the issue is, not with the miners or our police.

Where is the footage?

We live in a country where you have to fight for every oppertunity,then the goverment wants half aswell,they were given a choice,surface and face the law or hide in a hole,not one person held a gun to their head saying make a choice,they chose to stay down there knowing what will happen.

How can anyone condone this treatment. Regardless of the circumstance, the actions of the authorities is inexcusable and should be punished. How horrific are the miners circumstances that they “chose” starvation over coming out. I am deeply saddened and sickened by the actions of those in power.

The problem is at the border......