Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, stated on Monday that the miners should be safely retrieved and that a confrontation between police and hundreds of illegal miners trapped underground in an abandoned mine shaft should not endanger lives.
Community members watch as Senzo Mchunu, South African police minister, inspects outside the mineshaft where it is estimated that hundreds of illegal miners are believed to be hiding underground, after police cut off food and water as part of police operations against illegal miners, in Stilfontein, South Africa, November 15, 2024. REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee
In order to drive out and arrest miners who had broken into the abandoned mine in North West province in search of leftover gold—a problem that has bedevilled South Africa for decades—the police have cut off the miners’ access to food and water.
Although over 1,000 illegal miners have returned in recent weeks, hundreds may still be underground, according to police last week. Authorities have come under fire from locals and human rights organisations for obstructing their supplies.Ramaphosa stated in a weekly newsletter that the situation was unstable and might become tense.”Illegal mining is being committed at the Stilfontein mine, which is a crime scene. “Securing a crime scene and blocking off escape routes that allow criminals to avoid arrest is standard police practice everywhere,” he said.
Ramaphosa stated that his government would cooperate with the mining industry to address the problem of illicit mining and urged the police to respect the miners’ rights and not endanger their lives.He declared, “The police will fulfil their obligations to safely bring the illegal miners to the surface.”Through organised crime networks and small-time theft, illegal mining has flourished in South Africa, costing the country billions of rands in lost revenue and royalties.
Whether those still in the mine were unable or unwilling to leave was unknown. Since last Wednesday, 12 miners have been brought to the surface by volunteers, according to public broadcaster SABC.
