Police operation to stamp out illegal mining by blocking food supplies has turned to tragedy as relatives wait for loved ones to be rescued
Almost three days into a South African government operation in which 78 bodies and 218 miners had been pulled out of an illegal goldmine, Zinzi Tom still had no news of her brother, Ayanda.
“I’m not coping, but I need to be strong. I need to put my feelings aside, I will deal with them after,” said Tom, 31, who has become a de-facto leader for relatives of the trapped miners. “I can’t lose hope. It’s something that I just can’t do.”
