Several miners died and scores more sustained severe burns during an Operation Vala Umgodi raid in August.
Listen to this article 6 min Listen to this article 6 min One of 50 informal miners who clashed with authorities at the Daggafontein Mine Dump near the Blesbokspruit river in Springs, Gauteng Province, on 26 August 2024, is still lying in hospital being treated for severe burn wounds.
During an Operation Vala Umgodi raid by the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies, a fire swept through reeds commonly used by the illegal miners as an escape route. The miners allege the fire was started by the police. The police deny this. At least seven people have reportedly died, and a dozen other "zama zamas" were badly injured.
Speaking to GroundUp from his hospital bed, Livison Mativenga said: "All I want now is to survive and for justice to be served... We did not deserve to be burnt alive."
His older brother Wilson died in hospital a month ago from his injuries. Mativenga was unable to attend the funeral in Zimbabwe because of his skin grafting surgery.
He was with his brother, selecting rocks they believed contained gold, when the police, soldiers and metro police arrived. The brothers and their friend, Tinashe Masedze, fled to...
