Orphan Illegal Miner Defends His Job Underground in TikTok Video
- An illegal miner sat down for a raw interview inside a cramped underground tunnel, sharing how he ended up living this life
- The man, who grew up as an orphan without finishing school, said he believes God placed the minerals in the earth for everyone to survive
- South Africans in the comments were moved by his honesty and articulate English, and the video sparked a wider debate about who mining truly benefits
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A man living and working as an illegal miner sat down for a candid underground interview that left South Africans questioning everything they thought they knew about zama zamas.
Source: UGC
The video, posted on 3 August 2026 by Josh Rubi for @wideawakepodcast on social media, was filmed inside a narrow, rocky mining tunnel. Aerial drone footage cutting between the interview showed a sprawling settlement of shacks and tarps spread across an arid, desert-like landscape, giving viewers a rare glimpse into the world these men inhabit.
When asked whether he was happy, the miner did not hesitate.
"Yes, I'm happy. I'm hundred percent happy because everything I do, I just pray to God every day, asking for a better life.Maybe one day it's either you win or you lose."
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The man @wideawakepodcast explained that he grew up without parents and never completed his schooling. With no matric certificate and no formal qualifications, the options available to him were limited. "My ambition was to be someone better, doing things in a different way. But that didn't happen. That's why I'm here."
He was clear-eyed about the difficulty of his circumstances, but grounded in a quiet faith. His justification for mining also gave many viewers pause. He argued that the earth's minerals were not created exclusively for corporations:
"This earth and everything that is on earth belongs to us. That's why we are doing all this mining, because God gave us all these minerals. We can survive."
Watch the full underground interview here:
Mzansi reacts to underground interview
The video sparked hundreds of comments, with many South Africans moved by the man's composure and eloquence:
@TUMISANG MAXMILLIAN SMOKE said:
"He's not educated, but his English is better than most qualified people I'm working with 😁"
@Kopo Jake Nathane added:
"He speaks English very well"
@Hlabs wrote:
"This guy changed my view about 'illegal' miners"
@Adrian Andries reflected:
"I don't see him doing anything illegal. Anything natural belongs to God 💯"
@Boikanyo Kabelo shared:
"A perspective that I really never thought about: 'These minerals were given by God for all of us to survive, not only to benefit a few'"
@Owamk asked:
"How is this even illegal? Only big companies are allowed access to the natural minerals?"
@De Essay 🇿🇦 commented:
"I think I must join you guys, being unemployed in this economy is depressing"
Other Briefly News stories about undocumented foreigners
- A Mozambican national who passionately defended South Africa's stance on deporting undocumented immigrants, urging fellow African nationals to focus on improving their home countries.
- Richard Itoro, a Nigerian man who recounted his heart-wrenching experience during a BBC News Africa interview after fleeing the recent anti-migrant unrest in South Africa.
- A Malawian national who admitted to living illegally in South Africa for a month, as he made the decision to return home to rectify his documentation.
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Source: Briefly News
