More illegal miners resurface from Stilfontein mine in North West

Police have confirmed that another 20 illegal miners resurfaced at the Margaret Shaft in Stilfontein on Wednesday.

This brings the total number of zama zamas who have emerged from underground since the rescue operation began on 18 August to nearly 1,300.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said the illegal miners are being processed.

“They consist of ten Lesotho, six Zimbabwe and four Mozambique foreign nationals.”

Task team

A special task team, established by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, is currently conducting an operation to remove illegal miners from the mine in Stilfontein in a bid to tackle the scourge of illegal mining plaguing the country.

The miners had reportedly been stuck for weeks in the 2 km-deep shaft.

On Sunday, 14 zama zamas – identified by police as Mozambican nationals – resurfaced at Shaft 10, located a few kilometres away. Among them was a 14-year-old minor.

On Monday, another group of zama zamas attempted to resurface at the same shaft but fled back underground upon spotting police. A police contingent remains stationed at Shaft 10.

The exact number of zama zamas underground is not clear.

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While some estimates suggest there are more than 4,000 illegal miners underground, police have disputed this figure, saying their intelligence indicates only hundreds.

Court application

Earlier this week, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed an application to seek final relief for the illegal miners still underground.

Civil organisation, the Society for the Protection of our Constitution, approached the court in a bid to force government departments, including the South African Police Service (Saps), to provide necessary emergency disaster relief to the illegal miners, such as food, water, medical supplies, blankets and, if needed, medical relief.

The application also sought to compel government departments to extract the zama zamas that are underground.

The organisation accused the police of blocking entrances to the mine shafts, making it impossible for the illegal miners to resurface

Undocumented children

Meanwhile, the North West Department of Social Development on Wednesday confirmed that 96 undocumented children were among the illegal miners arrested and detained in Khuma, Stilfontein.

The department said that most of the illegal miners are believed to be from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, including Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

The Department of Social Development will place all identified and legally declared undocumented children in accommodation and provide for their basic needs, while they are still waiting to be processed in terms of the Child Justice Act.

Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde

ALSO READ: At least 95 undocumented children among illegal miners arrested at Stilfontein