Dear comrades,
We extend our deepest thanks to every individual, organisation and collective that has contributed in ways big and small to making the seemingly impossible possible: a fully community-led rescue and relief operation for the artisanal miners who were trapped in shafts 10 and 11 of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, North West province.
At least 89 artisanal miners were murdered by the deliberate actions of the South African state and its accomplices. The massacre was carried out through calculated neglect, obfuscation, and abandonment, despite full knowledge of the deadly consequences facing the miners trapped in Shafts 10 and 11.
Through your generosity and the spirit of mutual aid, we were able to raise funds, ensuring that vital support reached those who needed it most. Without this solidarity, it is impossible to say how many more lives would have been lost. Funds raised have gone toward:
• Supporting community-led rescue efforts where the state refused to act.
• Providing medical and basic care for survivors and affected families.
• Legal and advocacy efforts to demand justice and accountability.
AN URGENT APPEAL
Given the continued violence of this massacre and its structural implications, we are calling on all those who stand for justice to contribute as much or as little as you are able.
Your support will go toward:
- Supporting affected families—assisting those who have lost a breadwinner and helping them search for their loved ones, whether missing, hospitalised or imprisoned.
- Facilitating and organising mass community meetings, including logistics such as loud-hailing, printing materials and securing venues to ensure broad community participation.
- Providing resources for legal support and advocacy—ensuring families can follow-up on legal processes and pursue justice.
- Supporting public mobilisation and demonstrations as court cases progress and as the community fights for accountability.
If you would like to support in other ways, please reach out to us at info@macua.org.za. We welcome your ideas and encourage you to share this call within your networks.
In solidarity,
MACUA and the Stilfontein Solidarity Committee