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- Free State Police opened an investigation after seven bodies of unknown persons were discovered inside a shaft at the Kopanang Mine in Vierfontein, Free State.
- Police said the identity, age, gender and country of origin of the deceased were unknown.
- Free State Police said they were believed to be illegal miners.
Free State Police have opened an investigation after seven bodies were discovered inside an extraction shaft at the Kopanang mine in Vierfontein.
Police said the identity, age, gender and country of origin of the deceased were unknown.
They were discovered at 7:50 a.m. on Thursday, police spokesman Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said.
Makhele said the bodies are believed to be those of illegal miners.
“According to the management of the Kopanang mine, all its employees are accounted for and are still present,” Makhele said.
He said the bodies were brought to the surface by a mine rescue team and delivered to the Kroonstad state morgue.
Makhele added that an autopsy would be conducted in Bloemfontein to establish the identity of the victims.
In a separate and unrelated incident, four members of a feared Free State gang, Born To Kill (BTK), were sentenced to 18 years in direct prison for murder, Makhele said.
Makhele said gang members had fatally attacked a former member, Malefane Nhlapho, on September 30, 2018.
The incident occurred after the victim approached them to buy cigarettes at midnight, Makhele said.
“Upon his arrival they attacked him and stabbed him to death. They accused him of joining another gang and [of] remove a BTK tattoo. A murder case was opened for investigation and Detective Sergeant Lefa Letlojane made sure all four were denied bail. “
The four are Moeketsi Letlaka, 21, Retshedisitswe Raleting, 25, Lehlohonolo Ntunga, 22, and Tshediso Makhema.
“Each of them was sentenced to 18 years in direct prison for murder on December 1, 2020 before the Botshabelo Regional Court,” Makhele said on Saturday.
