The Congress of South African Trade Unions [COSATU] is saddened by the news of the death of the so called “illegal miners” following the underground outbreak of carbon monoxide at a disused mine in Langlaagte, Johannesburg...The federation is calling on the Chamber of Mines and government to explore the possibility of legalising and regulating the small scale mining, as a way of minimising dangers and also removing the criminal elements that send some of these desperate people underground, without taking any safety precautions...COSATU is also worried that South Africa is still failing to properly implement and monitor mine closures, especially considering the mining industry’s poor environmental legacy. We still see many mines being abandoned, with mine shafts left open, resulting in the development of contaminated mine water. What is wrong and immoral is that it is the taxpayers, who end up carrying the costs of cleaning up after the mine companies have repatriated their profits and left...