Two South African soldiers died on Friday after falling down a mine shaft during an operation targeting illicit mining, a police spokeswoman said.
The deaths are the first military fatalities since President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops in March to bolster police operations against crime and illegal mining.
The incident occurred at an abandoned mine west of Johannesburg as soldiers pursued suspected illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas”, police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said.
The soldiers fell into an open vertical shaft at the abandoned mine, she said.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said the incident occurred at about 6:00 am (0400 GMT).
