Illegal miners emerging from Shaft 12 at Stilfontein mine have reported dead bodies underground, according to community advocacy group Macua.

The miners, who surfaced from the North West province mine today, described dire conditions below ground, with people suffering from dehydration and starvation.

“They indicated that there are dead bodies in there,” Macua national coordinator Meshack Mbangula said after speaking with miners in custody. The group has interviewed two separate groups of miners who recently emerged from different shafts.

Mbangula dismissed claims of armed individuals underground. “The second group we spoke to indicated that there is nothing of people who are having guns,” he said.

The organisation has expressed concern about youth involvement in illegal mining and called for government reform of the sector. “We need to transform these sectors and formalise it,” said Mbangula, citing South Africa’s high unemployment rate.

Families of trapped miners have appealed for government intervention to assist their relatives still underground.