Klerksdorp Record, Klerksdorp - It is a slow process, but progress is being made in efforts to help illegal miners resurface.
The North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management disclosed this week that 55 zama-zamas have resurfaced since last week Monday.
That includes 20 illegal miners that resurfaced on Monday November 25 at Margaret Shaft which they were encouraged to use. According to Charles Matlou, media liaison officer, the process to resurface the illegal miners is delicate to ensure they are resurfaced safely and in a humane manner. “It is worth mentioning that on Friday there was a note that was sent from underground saying that there are approximately 500 illegal miners underground and 300 of them are unwell. They are also requesting more food. Some of the people who resurfaced have indicated that they have been held against their will by other highly armed illegal miners underground.’’
He also disclosed that most of the miners resurfacing are foreign nationals. “There is an issue that has been widely reported of one of those who resurfaced to be a fourteen-year-old. This information will still need to be verified as no documentation was found with him to prove that indeed he is of the age that he says he is.’’
Meanwhile, the police welcomed the judgement handed down in the North Gauteng High Court which dismissed the application brought forward by the Society for the Protection of our Constitution.
The application sought amongst others to compel various government departments including SAPS to provide all necessary emergency disaster relief to illegal miners underground by providing food, water, medical aid, blankets and any such medical relief necessary. The application also compelled government departments including SAPS to extract the alleged trapped miners from underground.
“The SAPS have always maintained that they have never been in violation of any Constitutional right to life and to dignity. The SAPS have never blocked any shaft nor blocked any illegal miner from exiting through any disused mine shaft, as is evident with the illegal miners that have resurfaced in the past few weeks.
“The SAPS remain adamant that there is no illegal miner that is trapped underground and that they simply refuse to resurface because they are avoiding arrest,’’ said Brig Athlenda Mathe, police spokesperson.
* The total number of illegal miners who have resurfaced since August 18 are 1 259. Of them, 871 are Mozambicans, 343 are Zimbabweans, 33 are Lesotho nationals, one Malawian and only ten are South Africans. So far, one body was resurfaced and the pathology process is underway to verify the nationality and the time of his death. All miners once resurfaced are taken through law enforcement process and thereafter all undocumented foreign nationals are processed by Home Affairs through their procedures.
