Desperate and dying, more than 300 illegal miners spent months trapped in an abandoned mine shaft in Stilfontein in the North West in a prolonged and – for many – fatal standoff with authorities. Desperate families visited the site daily as letters and videos emerged from the depths, claiming that the miners were starving to death after police had stopped food supplies. Last week, the stalemate finally ended as 246 emaciated men and 78 bodies were pulled to the surface. These miners are just some of the thousands of zama zamas digging in and around old mines in Klerksdorp, Stilfontein and Orkney. As illegal mining continues to surge across the country, could more have been done to save the lives lost in this disaster? For the full story, get DStv Stream Premium: https://bit.ly/DStv-Stream