Community members on their way to the mine in Stilfontein, North West on 19 November 2024. Picture: Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen
The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) says funding has been secured for a drone to examine the conditions at the abandoned mine in Stilfontein, North West, where illegal miners are still underground.
Rescue operations are ongoing at the mine, three months after law enforcement intensified efforts to curb illegal mining as part of Operation Vala Umgodi.
The mine features three primary entry and exit points: Margaret Shaft, Buffelsfontein Shaft 10, and Buffelsfontein Shaft 11.
ALSO READ: Nearly 50 Stilfontein illegal miners resurface, police says no evidence of cannibalism
To date, at least 1 500 illegal miners, known as zama zamas, have been arrested, and nine bodies have been recovered.
However, hundreds of miners remain underground in an attempt to evade capture.
Human rights activists have since raised concerns about the underground conditions, amid claims that zama zamas have run out of food and have resorted to cannibalism due to severe starvation.
Following a site visit by Macua along with the Stilfontein Solidarity Committee (SSC) and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) on Tuesday, a proposal has been made to government for drone technology to be used in order to help retrieve the miners.
Macua revealed that money has been raised to hire a drone expert to assess the ongoing situation underground.
The mine features three primary entry and exit points: Margaret Shaft, Buffelsfontein Shaft 10, and Buffelsfontein Shaft 11.
READ MORE: ‘We can’t send down food or rescue miners’: Police accused of sabotage at Stilfontein mine
“The video footage obtained through this drone inspection will be instrumental in providing all concerned parties, and possibly including the court, with a clearer understanding of the conditions faced by the trapped miners.
“The footage that can be obtained by the drone will serve to illuminate the circumstances underground, thereby facilitating informed decision-making about the urgency of the rescue operation, which the state has dragged its feet for the past two months,” Macua spokesperson Magnificent Mndebele said in a statement.
Mndebele said the non-governmental organisation (NGO) hopes the evidence obtained will be made available for joint assessment by all parties involved in the rescue efforts upon completion of the drone operation.
“This process will be conducted in an open and transparent manner to ensure fairness and accountability.”
This was not the first proposal that Macua has suggested to the state, according to Mndebele.
He indicated that when the pulley system was destroyed two weeks ago, an offer was made to lower a cellphone underground to record the conditions and gain a better understanding of the situation.
“However, this proposal did not materialise as the pulley system, which was needed to send down the camera, was destroyed shortly after we made the request.”
Mndebele added that the mining rights activist group remain committed to ensuring that the right to life of those trapped underground is protected.
Macua has also decided to approach the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) with an urgent application concerning the miners.
The organisation wants the apex court to order the government to provide food, water, and medical supplies to the zama zamas, warning that the situation has reached crisis levels.
Previously, two applications by Macua and the Society for the Protection of our Constitution were dismissed by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
NOW READ: Human rights organisation approaches ConCourt to prevent cannibalism at Stilfontein mine
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