Confusion remains over how 21 bodies ended up in a shaft of the Amatshe mine in West Village, Krugersdorp.
On Wednesday, the police reported the discovery of 19 bodies which was followed by the grim discovery of two more yesterday morning.
The police have not ruled out the discovery of more bodies at the mine.
Rescue workers and members of the forensic investigation team were still combing the area of the open shaft mine in search of more bodies yesterday.
The rescue team and other stakeholders tried to drain excess water that is said to have contributed to the death of the miners.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brenda Muridili said evidence suggested that the bodies were moved to where they were found. They were placed in white body bags next to a pile of sand, as members of the police search and rescue team combed the area.
“The two bodies were retrieved (on Thursday) morning from an open mine shaft not far from where the other bodies were discovered on (Wednesday).
“The two bodies were found in an open mine shaft, it’s something that will be proven through the investigation of the inquest that these 19 bodies could have possibly come from the open mine shaft where the other two were.”
Some members of the surrounding communities said they were living in fear of being attacked by the illegal miners who have made the area unsafe.
They said since the acquittal of the 14 illegal zama zamas accused of raping eight women in the area in July, there have been gun shots non-stop.
One community member, speaking to The Star on condition of anonymity, said they suspected that the owners of the mine were being threatened by the zama zama syndicates who take over mining activities at the mine after hours.
They said there was a legal morning to afternoon shift, and an illegal shift after hours.
The mining company was not available to confirm these allegations after promising to address the media yesterday.
A resident said: “Since the rape charges were withdrawn last week, there has been an increase in gun violence. From our own observation, these miners who were found last night and today were trapped by the heavy rains from Tuesday after they went underground following the end of the day shift.”
Steven Ndlovu, who is a leader in the community, confirmed this observation and said the mine has been operational for over five months.
“Our suspicion is that the legal operations happen from morning to the afternoon and thereafter, the mine is taken over by illegal miners. We suspect that the owners of this mine are being threatened by illegal miners to allow them to operate after hours,” Ndlovu said.
He added that the mine does not consider them for jobs and that the security of the mine itself was poor.
“We have tried to engage management about the employment issue because most of the workers are not from around here. What we have not been told is why they do not employ some of us. Attempts to get these answers have been futile,” he said.
According to Tyrone Gray, mayor of Mogale City, efforts between all spheres of government were needed to ensure that the issue of illegal mining was resolved. He said the Department of Mineral Resources should consider allocating some of the mines to artisanal mining so that communities can benefit from mining activities.
“We need to permanently secure the area to bring down illegal mining. We also implore the community to consider information sharing and report illegal mining activities,” Gray said.