The poor bear the brunt of illegal mining while the powerful escape
7 July 2023
The deaths and injuries caused by a gas leak at the Angelo informal settlement on the East Rand are a powerful reminder of the cost of illegal mining.
Early reports indicate the gas leak was caused by illegal miners trying to refine ore, but illegal miners were not the disaster’s only victims. People living around the shack where the gas leak occurred, and their children were also killed or injured.
It was a tragic event, but drew attention because of the large number of victims.
Other tragedies caused by illegal mining happen daily in South Africa, from underground accidents to people’s lives being put at risk from illegal miners in their midst. Sadly it takes tragedies of major proportions to get media attention.