Police minister Senzo Mchunu visits the location the place unlawful miners are trapped underground in Khuma, Stilfontein, on November 16, 2024. (Photograph by Elizabeth Sejake/Rapport/Gallo Pictures by way of Getty Pictures)
A complete of 1 564 unlawful miners have resurfaced at an deserted mine in Stilfontein within the North West and eight our bodies have been retrieved, however authorities can not affirm what number of extra miners stay underground.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone advised the Mail & Guardian that the miners have been resurfacing voluntarily from the Margaret Shaft, which is operational.
“There’s a cage there, so as soon as the safety spots them underground, they go down and produce them up,” he stated.
He stated police have been advised that there are nonetheless folks at shaft quantity 10, however they can not affirm what number of.
Based on Jessica Lawrence of Attorneys for Human Rights (LRH), the miners are “bodily trapped” and can’t go away the mine with out exterior assist from above floor.
“It’s incorrect to counsel that they’re selecting to stay in these insufferable circumstances. Whereas there have been preliminary experiences of miners exiting the mine, these people used the Margaret Shaft, partially owned by Concord Gold, which is totally inaccessible from underground by these trapped at shafts 10 and 11 of the Buffelsfontein gold mine,” Lawrence stated.
“The miners at shafts 10 and 11 are in an unimaginable scenario. Shaft 11, the place community-led rescue efforts had been below means earlier than being dismantled, is 2 kilometres deep. Pulling up a single miner utilizing a guide rope pulley system takes at the least 45 minutes — an nearly not possible activity on this scale,” she stated.
“These miners are fully reliant on exterior intervention to exit the mine. Their lives rely upon speedy motion,” Lawrence stated.
On 2 January, LHR filed an pressing utility on the constitutional courtroom on behalf of Mining Affected Communities United in Motion. In that utility, a consultant of the organisation shared a letter from miners trapped underground.
It described an allegedly appalling scenario.
“The general public are perishing at shaft 10, as they’re pressured to climb up at shaft 10 however they preserve falling and dying and we are able to’t discover their our bodies,” the letter stated.
“We see the meals that’s despatched to us however nothing is altering. Individuals proceed to die. The issue is that we’ve been hungry for a very long time. Even myself I’m dropping power.’
Based on the letter, a number of the miners had been consuming human flesh from the our bodies of those that had died in shaft 10.
“We request meals. Now we have run out of meals. Please we’re humbly begging, persons are dying continuous … we all know that starvation is the explanation we’re dying,” it stated.
Mokgwabone advised the M&G that the South African Police Service is “not chargeable for supplying all of the meals.”
“We’re there due to the crime that’s being dedicated that’s unlawful mining. Meals has by no means been our association from the start. We had been there to ensure that no matter is being taken down is completed in an orderly method. Now we have by no means denied any meals happening,” he stated.
In December, the Pretoria excessive courtroom granted an interim order to LHR to permit neighborhood members and charitable organisations to offer meals, water and medicine to the trapped unlawful miners.
Lawrence added that after the courtroom order, some meals, water and humanitarian help had been lowered all the way down to the trapped miners, but it surely was not sufficient.
“Sadly, the construction that anchored the neighborhood’s guide rope system — used each to ship important provides and to rescue miners — was dismantled on 27 December 2024 throughout police operations on the bottom. The scenario is now completely dire, with lives hanging within the stability.”
Lawrence stated they count on the constitutional courtroom to grant the aid, within the type of humanitarian help, meals, water and medicine to the miners trapped underground, and make sure the trapped miners are rescued directly.
“As a society, we should not enable conditions like this to happen once more. It’s unacceptable to face by and watch as the federal government disregards the lives and dignity of individuals, no matter their circumstances.”
Mokgwabone stated all the individuals who resurfaced had been arrested and charged with unlawful mining, and in some situations, trespassing and contravention of the Immigration Act.
“We’re persevering with with our operations. Whoever resurfaces, will get arrested and will get processed and will get detained,” he added.