South African police have launched an investigation after 14 suspected illegal miners died when a mine dump site collapsed on them on Monday night. Illegal mining is rife in South Africa as miners, known in South Africa as "zama zamas" ("those who try their luck" in Zulu), try to eke out a living by digging in abandoned shafts or dump sites. He told local broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that the "walls of the dumping site... caved in on them [the zama zamas]". He confirmed that all the zama zamas are undocumented foreign nationals and will also face illegal mining and trespassing charges. Injuries and deaths of illegal miners are not uncommon in South Africa, especially at abandoned mine shafts.