Lentswe, Stilfontein - Humanitarian aid has started making its way to illegal miners underground at several shafts in Stilfontein after a court order over the weekend. On Sunday December 1, the Pretoria high court ordered several government officials, including the police and the mineral resources minister, to allow “community members, charitable organisations and interested parties” to provide humanitarian aid to the zama-zamas, underground at shafts 10 and 11 and Margaret shaft.
Police and soldiers began blocking supplies of food, water and other necessities to the illegal miners in mid-October as a method to force them to the surface.
Since August 18, more than 1 200 illegal miners have surfaced but many more are underground, refusing to leave because they don’t want to be arrested.
According to a note sent up to the surface on Tuesday December 3, they claim that at least half a dozen illegal miners have died since police cut off food and water supplies in a bid to force them out of the disused shaft.
On Tuesday, 17 illegal miners have resurfaced in Stilfontein. The latest groups resurfaced from Harmony Gold’s Margaret Shaft while a smaller group resurfaced from shaft 10 at the Old Buffelsfontein Gold Mine earlier.
Although Harmony Gold doesn’t own the mine occupied by hundreds of zama-zamas the illegal miners have been travelling kilometres underground from the disused shafts to re-emerge at one of the company’s shafts as an exit.
North West Police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone says they have all since been arrested on a range of charges including trespassing.
“They are still being processed and one of the four that resurfaced at shaft number 10, has been taken to hospital for medical observation.”
On Wednesday December 4, two bodies were retrieved from underground. Minister of Police visited Stilfontein on Friday 29 November to engage with the community.
