Illegal mining ringleader escaped during South Africa disaster with help from officers, police say

JOHANNESBURG — A suspected illegal gold mining ringleader known as ''Tiger'' escaped from custody with help from police officers after resurfacing last week from a disused mine in South Africa where dozens of miners died and 246 were rescued, authorities said Monday.

Police said that the suspect — identified as Lesotho national James Neo Tshoaeli but commonly known as ''Tiger" — was among those who came out of the mine near the town of Stilfontein during a rescue operation last week following a monthslong standoff between police and men digging for gold illegally.

But he was never booked by officers at any of the police stations where survivors were taken after being arrested for illegal mining offenses, police said. An investigation was underway into who helped him flee.

North West province acting police commissioner Maj.-Gen. Patrick Asaneng said that it was an embarrassment to the police operation.

Nearly 2,000 miners were working illegally underground at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine southwest of Johannesburg, police said. In total, 87 of them died underground, with 78 bodies retrieved in the official rescue operation and another nine brought out by community members before that.

Civic groups said that many died of starvation or dehydration after police cut off their food supplies for a period of time to try and force them out of the mine.

But Tshoaeli is allegedly responsible for some deaths, assault and torture that are purported to have taken place underground, police said.

''Extensive investigations and tracing operations are underway to find those officials who aided his escape between Shaft 11 and the Stilfontein police holding cells,'' Mathe said. ''According to records, Tiger was never booked into various other stations where some illegal miners are being kept. Tiger is also not admitted at a local hospital for further medical care.''

Illegal mining is rife at some of South Africa's approximately 6,000 disused or abandoned mines where official operations have ended. Large groups of miners often go underground for months to maximize profits — taking food, water, generators and other equipment with them, but also relying on others in their group on the surface to send down more supplies.

The illicit miners are known as ''zama-zamas'' — ''hustlers'' or ''chancers'' in the Zulu language. While many of them are poor and desperate for money, the groups are often run by armed kingpins who are part of criminal syndicates.

Accounts from miners who spoke to The Associated Press have revealed that hundreds were trapped and faced starvation, hunger and illnesses after police arrived at the Stilfontein mine last August and cut off supplies for a time. Others are believed to have fallen and died trying to climb out of the mine, according to groups representing them.

The rescue operation at the mine's Shaft 11 was called off last Thursday after rescuers and volunteers helping to retrieve the miners and bodies said that there were no more survivors or corpses underground. Cameras and motion detection equipment were also used to determine this.