“I can't breathe, I can't breathe!”
This was the frantic scream of Channel Sibanda, 27, from Jerusalem informal settlement, who was sent down by residents to try to retrieve illegal miners trapped in a disused Rand Lease shaft in Roodepoort.
Just a few hours after the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) and mine rescue technicians suspended the mission to retrieve illegal miners, residents attempted their own operation. They alleged authorities were too quick to call off the operation and didn't try hard enough.
A long rope and headlamps were quickly arranged by residents. Sibanda wore overalls and was gently dropped down into the shaft.
After a few minutes while descending, he began shouting: “I can't breathe, I can't breathe,” prompting the men to quickly pull him up.
According to some residents, two illegal miners were trapped from Saturday, but the EMS only received calls for assistance on Sunday.
That area is dangerous for the rescuers, hence the decision to terminate the operation.
— Robert Mulaudzi, Joburg EMS spokesperson
Sibanda appeared dizzy and weak when he returned to the surface.
“On my way down, I was still feeling well, but when I got inside, I gradually lost oxygen, and I decided to raise my hand.
“Maybe only 30 metres were left for me to reach down,” he said, adding he couldn't see properly.
“You can't see because there is no oxygen any more.
“People didn't want to go inside so I decided it was better if I went inside, but I tried and it didn't work. I wasn't afraid, I am used to going inside the shaft.”
Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi initially said they suspended the rescue mission due to safety concerns.
He said rescuers went down at least 70m and the area was deemed dangerous, so they decided to partially stop the operation.
“We are looking at other avenues , but we cannot do that with the maps we have because that is the only area which we can move in,” he said.
He added they were told it was the illegal miners' first attempt to enter the shaft.
On Sunday, voices believed to be of the illegal miners could be heard from the shaft, but on Monday nothing could be heard.
Mulaudzi said they responded to the incident in the early hours of Sunday. “The rescue operation which we are conducting here is very complex, it is challenging, it needs proper planning and co-ordination because there is always a risk a rescuer is injured.
“I think we must be clear about that. What we try to do is make sure that whatever options we have we ensure the safety of rescuers at all times,” he said.
During the first attempt, rescuers went down about 15m, experienced oxygen deficiencies, then came back. During the second attempt they went down about 70m and the oxygen deficiency was about 14%.
During the third attempt, they went down about 70m again and found an obstruction they had to ensure wouldn't create a problem.
“Yes, we want to get to where the illegal miners are, but we have to make sure that the rescuers are safe,” he said.
One of the residents from the Jerusalem informal settlement, who didn't want to be identified for fear of being victimised, said poverty and youth unemployment were prevalent at the settlement.
He said there were only two primary schools nearby that children could go to.
He said for high schools, children had to travel to Meadowlands, Dobsonville or Bram Fischer, which requires transport and is costly.
“Where do they get that transport money?” he asked.
“A father could not just sit back and say my child is not going to school. This is one of the things that pushes them to get fast money [through illegal mining],” he said.
He added there were allegedly many illegal miners in the settlement as many young people didn't have jobs. He added crime was another challenge.
“We suspect that one of the trapped illegal miners is from our settlement because he has been missing since Friday, and we understand there are guys from Jerusalem who came here this Friday,” he said.
One of the community leaders, Zibuse Memela, said residents in the area tried to rescue the miners on their own on Saturday. He said it was late in the day when they realised that they couldn't retrieve them and started reporting to community leaders.
“We live with these people [trapped illegal miners] and hope they are still alive. When we were here in the early hours of Sunday we could hear their voices ... inside the shaft,” he said.
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