Central SA
President deeply saddened by death of four SANDF members in Orkney─── ZENANDE MPAME 10:52 Tue, 09 Jul 2024
“The troops were part of Operation Vala Umgodi, which is directed at combating illegal mining.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families of the SANDF members who passed away over the weekend in Orkney.
The four members of the SANDF were on duty as part of Operation Vala Umgodi – an operation that deals with illegal mining activities. An inquest case was opened at the Orkney police station and is under investigation.
Funeral arrangements for the members who passed away on Friday (5/7) are yet to be announced and the names of the deceased will be announced once the families have been informed and all processes and formalities have been completed.
President Ramaphosa said he is deeply saddened by the deaths. Picture: GCIS
“The President’s thoughts are with the team of soldiers who discovered their deceased colleagues in a container at a disused mine shaft at Orkney in the North West Province,” said the President’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
“As Commander-in-Chief of the SANDF, President Ramaphosa offers his condolences to the families of the victims as well as to their commanders and colleagues.”
‘The deceased troops possibly died from carbon monoxide poisoning’
“The President is deeply saddened by the deaths of the members who passed away while on duty to combat illegal mining,” he said.
The members were deployed on a 24-hour shift at Shaft 3, a dormant mining shaft situated in Orkney, North West Province, near the disused Harry Oppenheimer stadium which has been a hot spot for illegal mining.
Inquest after soldiers die in Orkney
The deceased members were found inside a container structure that was used as a guard house for those on 24-hour duty on Saturday (6/7) morning when the next shift was taking over the following day upon opening the doors of the container.
The deceased troops, who showed no injuries and were fully kitted and armed, are believed by the police and the SANDF to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from a fire they made to keep warm.
“SAPS was called in and upon inspection of the scene, all four had died, with their rifles on them and their personal items still with them,” said SANDF Head of Communication Siphiwe Dlamini.
‘The bodies were transported to the Klerksdorp State Mortuary’
“The district surgeon was called to the scene and examined the bodies and confirmed no injuries.”
“The bodies of the deceased were transported to the Klerksdorp State Mortuary for further investigation and post-mortem,” he said.
