Meet Mannas Fourie: The leader behind the rescue of 246 Stilfontein zama-zamas destined to return

Mines Rescue Services (MRS), under the leadership of Mannas Fourie, recently saved 246 illegal miners (zama-zamas) who were trapped in an abandoned mineshaft in Stilfontein, South Africa. The rescue operation was preceded by a tense standoff with authorities before MRS received the go-ahead. In an interview with Biznews, Fourie detailed the operation’s challenges, which included adverse weather, the maneuvering of heavy equipment, and the retrieval of miners from a depth of 1,280 metres, necessitating a specialised mobile rescue winder capable of operating in deep vertical shafts up to 3,000 metres. Fourie emphasised that MRS does not discriminate between legal and illegal miners in need of rescue; when lives are at stake, their passion to save lives takes precedence, even at the risk of their own safety. He also highlighted South Africa’s world-leading expertise in deep mining rescues and noted that, despite the dangers and rescue efforts, the zama-zamas are likely to return, driven by high-grade mineral deposits that remain and because there is money to be made.