At a briefing held Monday near the site of the rescue operation, Givusa’s leadership, along with public figures, said the videos shared “paint a very dire picture” of the situation underground.
“What happened here should be called what it is; this is the Stilfontein Slaughterhouse. Because this footage shows a pile of human corpses of miners who died needlessly,” said Givusa president Mametlwe Sebey.
He accused the authorities of what he called a “treasonous policy” that is being carried out knowingly.
The Department of Mineral Resources, which is leading the rescue operation, told the BBC that Monday’s operation involved lowering the cage, which was then raised when it was loaded with people.
This structure is designed to hold six to seven people, depending on their weight, according to Givusa. He descended the trunk – about 2 km – every hour. The union said that by the end of Monday, 26 miners had been picked up alive along with nine bodies.
Department of Mineral Resources spokesman Mahasonke Buthelezi could not confirm whether the priority would be to bring back those who died or those in need of medical attention.
The department, along with the Ministry of Police, will hold a briefing on Tuesday to announce the operation.
