Some 4,500 alleged illegal miners remain underground after more than a thousand of their colleagues surfaced and were arrested.

On Wednesday (13/11) police and soldiers allowed water and food to be delivered to those underground so they could safely resurface.

“The Operation Vala Umgodi task team continues to call upon those illegal miners, who are still underground in the Stilfontein area, to return to the surface,” said North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone.

Foto: X
“We call on these illegal miners to resurface so that they can get relevant help or aid, including any medical attention that may be required and we appeal to the community in the area to allow the police space to do their job.”

The police will continue to stamp the state’s authority without fear or favour, he said. “We have restricted supplies and access to those attempting to get supplies to miners underground.”

“As the government, we will not send help to criminals, criminals are meant to be persecuted,” said Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. “We didn’t send them there and they did not go down there with good intentions for the republic so we can’t help them.

‘It’s not our job to retrieve bodies of criminals’

“Those who want to help them must go down there and take them food. We are not sending any help. They will come out, whether we are going to retrieve bodies, but it’s not our job to retrieve bodies of criminals.”

OFM News previously reported charges against the 55 illegal miners arrested on Saturday, 2 November were withdrawn, but they will be detained under the Immigration Act, pending a deportation order.

Slightly more than a thousand illegal miners resurfaced between Friday, 18 October, and Tuesday 5 November 2024.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame mvh