The North West Department of Health has buried 30 unclaimed bodies of illegal miners retrieved from an underground shaft in Stilfontein last year. The remains were interred as paupers at two cemeteries in Klerksdorp, with 15 buried at Jouberton New Cemetery and the remaining 15 in Khuma.
Bodies Retrieved, Few Identified
Last year, a government-led operation recovered 78 bodies from Shaft 11 in Stilfontein. Of these, only 25 were identified and returned to their families, leaving 53 unclaimed. The department has now buried 30 of the unidentified remains, with the remaining 23 set to be laid to rest by the end of the month.
To assist future identification efforts, the department has stored DNA swabs from the bodies in case families come forward.
Community Outcry Over Lack of Consultation
The burial has sparked criticism from community representatives, who claim they were excluded from the process. SANCO (South African National Civic Organisation) community spokesperson Mzukisi Jam expressed frustration, accusing the provincial government of acting without transparency.
“The North West provincial government does not cease to amaze us,” Jam said. “First, we had to deal with the Department of Community Safety, which disregarded us as stakeholders, and now the Department of Health buries these bodies without proper consultation.”
Jam also raised concerns over whether proper procedures were followed, noting that both the district and local municipalities had distanced themselves from the burials. He called for accountability, particularly as the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) prepares to launch an inquiry into the Stilfontein incident.
Ongoing Investigations
The SAHRC has previously acknowledged that a crime may have been committed in the Stilfontein tragedy, where dozens of illegal miners died underground. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain unclear, and the commission’s findings are highly anticipated.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health maintains that it followed due process in handling the unclaimed remains. However, community leaders demand answers, insisting that the victims—many of whom were undocumented migrants—deserved more dignified treatment.
As the remaining bodies await burial, questions linger over who these men were, how they died, and why so few have been identified.
