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The accused appeared before the Stilfontein Magistrate's Court on Friday and were released on R1 000 bail each.
A South African Police Services (Saps) vehicle is parked near the mine shaft in Stilfontein on 17 November 2024. Picture: Phill Magakoe / AFP
Four police officers arrested in connection with the escape of illegal mining kingpin James “Tiger” Tsoaeli in Stilfontein, North West, have been granted bail.
Tsoaeli resurfaced from a shaft at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine on 15 January during a government-sanctioned rescue mission to retrieve illegal miners, known as zama zamas.
The site comprises three main entry and exit points: Margaret Shaft, Buffelsfontein Shaft 10, and Buffelsfontein Shaft 11.
While authorities successfully recovered 78 bodies and rescued 246 zama zamas, Tsoaeli managed to evade capture, sparking a manhunt led by the South African Police Service (Saps).
Stilfontein illegal mining kingpin still on the run
Addressing the media on Friday, Acting North West police commissioner Patrick Asaneng said authorities remained confident in their investigation into Tsoaeli’s disappearance.
Asaneng highlighted that since the launch of Operation Vala Umgodi in Stilfontein, there had been no reports of escapes.
“So our investigation was premised on the belief that Tiger or the suspect could only have disappeared or escaped with the assistance of our members who were there on the day when he resurfaced.
”You will recall that this particular individual resurfaced from underground on the last day of the rescue operation by the Mine Rescue Services [MSR], and he was immediately like all others placed under arrest.
”It was only when they were supposed to be charged to appear in court that we realised that he was unaccounted for,” he explained.
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The commissioner confirmed that four officers were arrested and charged with defeating the course of justice and aiding a prisoner to escape.
The accused appeared before the Stilfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday and were released on R1 000 bail each.
The case has been postponed and is set to return to court on 5 March.
”I can say that our investigation is proceeding very well, even though we have not yet managed to locate the fugitive that is Tsoaeli.
“We are confident that before the next court appearance of these four members, we would know exactly what happened and where is this suspect. So we are dealing with this matter,” Asaneng said.
He stressed that the police conducted a thorough investigation.
“Only after consulting with the National Prosecuting Authority [NPA], we were satisfied based on the evidence that we have.
“What I can say is that [the officers] don’t deny that they were at a particular point that Tiger was under their custody, but that evidence still has to be led in court.”
Identification of bodies
Asaneng confirmed that autopsies or post-mortems have been conducted on the 78 bodies recovered from the Stilfontein mine, handled by the Department of Health’s pathological services.
However, the identification process has proven “very difficult” due to the advanced state of decomposition of the remains.
READ MORE: Illegal miner arrested for trying to bribe police
“This is also made difficult because the majority of those that resurface from underground are undocumented migrants in South Africa.
“We suspect and believe that with the autopsies that have been performed, the majority, if not all of these 78, none of them are South Africans because we have also not received any complaint from anyone in South Africa claiming that they are next of kin where underground and, therefore, they are unaccounted because it will assist us in the drawing of DNA to establish and do comparative analysis.”
Stilfontein illegal mining operation to continue as zama zamas resurface
The commissioner noted that while the rescue mission at Shaft 11 was called off after MSR reported no one remained underground, a body was retrieved from the Margaret shaft on 27 January.
“Then the following day, we saw two miners emerging from underground and then yesterday three [more resurfaced], which brings the total to five.
“We have since placed those five miners under arrest, and we are interviewing them. What I can say is that they have indicated to us that some of their colleagues are still underground.”
He further remarked that none of the five miners showed signs of malnutrition or hunger.
“[This] says then that there is still enough food underground and, therefore, this was a ploy by those people who went to court and said that ‘no, the miners are being starved to death’.”
Asaneng reaffirmed that Operation Vala Umgodi would continue at Stilfontein.
“We believe that we are just scratching the surface insofar as illegal mining is concerned.”
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