'Artisanal miners' is the phrase used for South Africans who salvage coal from abandoned mines. It's a grueling and risky life. "Bit by bit it's killing something inside me," says one such miner.
(Image credit: Tommy Trenchard for NPR)
Photos: The perilous lives of miners in South Africa's abandoned mines
By Text and photos by Tommy Trenchard on August 23, 2025
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