BBC expose child sex abuse for South Africa illegal mines

BBC News

19-05-2025

Dis story contain details, including video, wey some pipo fity find distressing.
Di most shocking tin for Jonathan, wey don endure six tough months dey live and work underground for one abandoned South African gold mine, na di abuse wey e witness wey children dey suffer.
Some dey recruited for cheap labour, but dem bring odas in specifically for sex, campaigners tok.
Jonathan, now e dey im late 20s, don migrate to South Africa from one nearby kontri on di promise to make easy money as e dey work in one of it dozens of mines wey dem no dey use well, closed by multinationals becos dem no longer dey commercially viable.
We dey protect im full identity as e fear attacks from di violent criminal gangs wey dey run di illegal mining industry sake of e tok to di media.
Details of wetin di young pipo dey go though show afta di death of dozens of illegal miners near di town of Stilfontein late last year wen police block di mine.
For one calm and steady voice, Jonathan describe di heat, long hours and limited food and sleeping options wey take a toll on im bodi.
But one enduring memory na wetin happun to di underage miners in di shaft wia e bin work.
"I use to see dis kids in di mine - teenagers actually, 15, 17-year-olds.
"Odas use to take advantage of dem sometimes. IE dey fear small-small, and I bin no dey comfortable wit am."
E say di adult miners dey rape dem and dey promise to give dem some of di gold dey find in exchange for sex.
"If dat kid dey desperate for money, e go take di risk."
Jonathan describe how di children go approach teams of miners for protection but "say di team go get conditions".
Sex also dey used as punishment if di teenagers fail to complete a task for dia team.
Jonathan say di children in di mine wia e dey work be all foreign and no realise wetin dem dey get demselves into.
Mining researcher and activist Makhotla Sefuli back dis up.
E say criminal gangs specifically dey target children to work in illegal mines across South Africa.
Many of dem dey abducted from neighbouring kontries and trafficked. Dem dey enticed by baseless promises say dem go find dem employment in di formal mining industry.
"Dia passports dey confiscated wen dem enta South Africa… Na common knowledge say dis young boys dey abused," Oga Sefuli tok.
Di BBC don tok to miners wey dey work in at least two oda illegal mines wey tell us say dem see children wey dey abused in di shafts wia dem dey work.
Tshepo, no be im real name, say e bin see older men dey force young boys to have sex wit dem underground.
"In some instances, dey bin do am for di money. Some dey recruited only for dat purpose, sake of di financial incentives wey go come wit di practice of maybe trading sex underground."
E add say di abuse deeply affect di children.
"Dey change dia behaviour patterns and get trust issues. Dem no want you to get close to dem, sake of say dey feel say dey no longer fit trust anyone."
South Africa illegal mining industry bin make global headlines last year following one standoff between police and miners for di Buffelsfontein gold mine, near di town of Stilfontein in di North West Province.
Di authorities don dey try to reduce illegal mining, wey di govment say di cost South Africa economy $3.2bn (£2.6bn) in lost revenue last year.
Dey bin launch one operation Vala Umgodi, or seal di hole, in December 2023, wit promise to take a tough stance on di gangs.
As part of di operation, di police bin limit di amount of food and water wey bin go down di Stilfontein mine to, as one minister put am, "smoke out" di illegal miners. Officials say di men no gree come out sake of fear say dem go dey arrested.
Soon video begin show from within di mine wey show dozens of emaciated men wey dey beg for rescue, as well as rows of bodi bags. Eventually one court bin order di authorities to save di men.
Among those dem bring up na many wey say dem dey underage, but as a number of dem na migrants without documents wey confam how old dem dey, di authorities bin carry out medical tests to get estimate.
Through dis, di Department of Social Development (DSD) bin confam say dem find say 31 of di rescued Stilfontein miners na children. Dey all be Mozambican nationals and in November, 27 of dem dey repatriated.
Save di Children South Africa bin help translate some of di interviews between di underage miners and di rescue workers.
"Dem bin go through trauma, sake of say some of dem bin also see odas dey sexually exploited," di charity CEO Gugu Xaba tell di BBC.
"Just di feeling say dey fit no come out of there bin destroy those children mentally.
"Di adult miners go start by grooming dem, by acting like say dey like dem."
She say dey go den make di children to perform sexual acts on di adults and den rape dem, days afta day.
"You find say di adult go get three or four of dem wey dem dey do di same tin to."
Ms Xaba say mining gangs dey recruit children sake of say dem dey easier to manipulate and cheaper.
"Children no understand wen you say: 'I go pay you 20 rands ($1; £0.80) per day.' Di adults sometimes dey refuse to work, but children find demselves wit no choice. So e dey easier to use a child to do di work. E dey easier to take a child wey dey one kind voiceless and to bring dem down dia."
Beyond say dem dey exploit dem financially, she say gangs dey wey dey recruit children specifically for sex.
Many illegal miners dey spend months underground, rarely go up to di surface. Markets dey spring up underground to provide dem wit anytin dey need.
"Most children dey trafficked in order to dey used as sex slaves. And you get a pimp wey dey take di money, and e mean say every day dis child dey used as commercial sex worker."
Di BBC bin ask di police and di DSD whether anyone go dey charged over di sexual abuse allegations. Dey no respond to our requests.
One source wey dey work on di Stilfontein miners cases tok say many of di children no wan testify.
Meanwhile, di illegal mining industry kontinu to thrive.
And wit estimate of 6,000 vacant mines wey dey potentially available to explore, na one business dey unlikely to end anytime soon, e leave thousands of vulnerable children at risk.