Families are gathered at the Gloria Mine in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, where more than 20 illegal miners are trapped underground after a gas explosion over the weekend.
A rescue operation is underway to retrieve those trapped. The illegal miners were allegedly stealing cables at the unused coal mine.
Mpumalanga Police Spokesperson Leornard Hlathi says one person was rescued earlier on Wednesday and the body of a second person was retrieved.
The community of Lindokuhle believe that if the Gloria coal mine was still operational, people would not have been trapped underground, allegedly while stealing cables.
The Gloria mine is currently under business rescue after failing to pay its workers last year.
A resident, Amanda Modadane, has called for the government to intervene.
“I believe that if this mine was operational this would not have happened, because employees would have been working, unlike now the criminals are taking the opportunity to try and break the mine. Going forward, we would like to see the government to take the boat or control of the situation.
