The South African government has launched a rescue operation at an abandoned gold mine in the country’s North West province, where at least 109 men have died, a group representing the miners said, after local authorities cut off vital supplies in a dramatic bid to crack down on the country’s illegal mining trade.

North West province's dam levels rise significantly as the Department of Water and Sanitation welcomes relief from recent rainfall after a challenging drought

According to the SAPS, Zozi continued his predatory ways when he met and raped an18-year-old woman in August 2021, who was on her way home shortly after midnight.

In its concerted efforts to boost the provision of services across all local municipalities in the province, the North West Provincial Government will roll out the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme - Thuntsha Lerole Reloaded - to the residents of Matlosana Local Municipality.

Rescuers recovered 51 additional bodies from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa on Tuesday, raising the death toll to 60 after nine bodies were retrieved on Monday, the first day of a massive rescue operation.

Police exhumed the body of a 16-year-old teenage girl from a shallow grave at a village in Pudimoe near Taung in North West. A search is underway for the suspect.

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi visited the General De La Rey Hospital in the North West after heavy rains in the North West province caused severe flooding.

In this article, Dr John Bristow of the Overberg Geoscientists Group writes about the centenary of diamond prospecting and mining along the West Coast of South Africa and the legends that shaped the business.