Lesotho: Deceased Miners’ Families Plead for Help

FAMILIES of 30 illegal miners who died in 2023 in an explosion in an abandoned mine shaft in Welkom, South Africa, have urged the government to issue death certificates for the deceased even though their bodies have not been recovered. This to enable the surviving dependents of the deceased to claim insurance and other death benefits.

The victims, all Basotho men aged between 30 and 40 from villages around Bela-Bela in Berea, were trapped after a methane gas explosion in a disused Harmony Gold mine shaft on 18 May, 2023.

When tragedy struck, South African authorities discouraged any attempts to retrieve the bodies fearing the dangerous gases would claim more lives. More than two years on, the bodies remain trapped in the shaft. And the deceased’s families are still struggling to move on, as they continue to fight for death certificates for their loved ones to get some closure.

These documents are also crucial to enable those with insurance policies to lodge claims and for orphaned children to access government assistance.

Without their remains, the miners’ families were forced to perform ceremonial burials to honor their departed sons.

While the South African government has still not deployed a rescue team, citing unsafe gas levels, bereaved families are unhappy that the Lesotho government seems reluctant to pressure Pretoria out of fear of straining diplomatic relations.

As a result, affected families and community members have lost hope of ever recovering the remains.

Speaking to the Lesotho Times this week, Samuel Mosala — a representative of the bereaved families who also lost a son — said they had accepted the painful reality that the bodies may never be recovered for a dignified burial.

“With the assistance of our Principal Chief, Peete Lesaoana, a burial ceremony was held at the chief’s office, and a monument has been erected in memory of our lost children,” Mr Mosala said.

“As Basotho, it is our wish to recover the bodies of our dead children to give them a dignified burial — it is our culture. But the situation is beyond our control. After waiting in vain for a year, we decided to give them proper send-offs according to each family’s beliefs. Some families conducted funerals without the bodies and wore mourning clothes.”

Mr Mosala said the pressing challenge now was the absence of death certificates.

Many widows and children have been left destitute and cannot access funeral policy benefits or apply for assistance from the ministry of social development, without the requisite papers.

He said poverty had driven the deceased into illegal mining in the first place. Their deaths had only worsened the plight of their families.

“Our children were not criminals. They left home in search of greener pastures. Poverty drove them, and now it has worsened due to their deaths. They were the main breadwinners.

“Their widows have left for South Africa to work as domestic workers, and many of their children have dropped out of school because their families can no longer afford school fees or other basic needs,” Mr Mosala said.

He appealed to the government to step in with social assistance, including grants and educational support for the orphaned children.

Koeneng and Mapoteng Principal Chief, Peete Lesaoana Peete, echoed his sentiments, explaining that he had spearheaded the erection of the monument to help the community find closure.

“We have lost hope that the bodies will ever be recovered. The government has done its best, but the efforts have not yielded results. The monument stands as a tribute to our deceased children, and we have come to terms with the fact that this may be the end of the road,” Chief Lesaoana said.

In a separate interview, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Lejone Mpotjoane, said the government is still awaiting a report from Harmony Mine.

“The last communication we received stated that it was still unsafe for a rescue team to enter the closed mine due to high methane gas levels,” Mpotjoane said.

“The South African government had ordered Harmony Mine to retrieve the bodies, but the mine’s assessment found it too dangerous. They reported that the mine, having been closed for a long time, had accumulated dangerous levels of methane gas, and it is believed the miners died from inhaling the gas.”

He said after a year without progress, the Lesotho government had agreed with the families to conduct symbolic burials in line with Sesotho culture.

“The ceremony was held in 2024, and we continue to remind the South African government that retrieving the bodies remains a priority,” he said.

A diplomatic spat had ensued in the wake of the disaster after the Lesotho government had suggested to Pretoria to allow some illegal miners who had volunteered to retrieve the bodies of their colleagues.

South Africa’s mines minister Gwede Mantashe was peeved, accusing Maseru of “sabotaging” his government by suggesting illegal Basotho immigrants could be officially allowed to conduct a rescue mission in its jurisdiction.

Since then, there have not been any reports of official attempts to retrieve the bodies. It is now two years of waiting for the grief-stricken families.

By Lesotho Times.