Government’s Stance: No Rescue for Trapped Illegal Miners in South Africa

As part of an official policy against illegal mining, the South African government has declared that it is not going to help a group of illegal miners inside a closed mine in the North West region of the country who have been denied access to basic supplies.

Overview of the Situation:

Police shut down the openings that the miners used to carry their supplies underground leaving them without food, water and other essentials in the Stilfontein mineshaft.

As part of the police’s Vala Umgodi or Close the Hole operation, miners’ supplies are cut off forcing them to come to the surface and face arrest.

Police had previously said that up to 4,000 miners might be underground based on information they obtained from those who had assisted in bringing three miners to the surface.

Nonetheless, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe stated on Thursday, November 14, 2024, in the afternoon that they thought the number had been exaggerated and may be far lower, estimating between 350 and 400 miners.

“We feel that the numbers are being exaggerated. We have deployed maximum resources to this case including our intelligence operative who are on the ground who have engaged with all stakeholders. We have managed to estimate the numbers to be between 350 and 400,” Mathe said.

Police are still patrolling the mine’s surroundings in an effort to apprehend anyone who emerges from underground.

Government’s Official Stance:

Because the illegal miners are engaging in criminal activity, Cabinet Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni informed reporters on Wednesday that the government would not provide any assistance to them.

“We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. Criminals are not to be helped. We didn’t send them there,” Mr. Ntshavheni said.

The police spokesperson also added, “We have taken a decision that no police officer, no soldier or government official will go down to an abandoned mine. There is a high risk of loss of life.”

Miner’s Safety and Health:

Since miners are said to frequently remain underground for months at a time by relying on outside supply of basic requirements like food and water but now it is unclear how long the current group has been underground and how long they can stay as the supply of food, water and other basic needs are cut off.

After going weeks without basic supplies, over 1,000 miners have appeared at several mines in the North West province in recent weeks. Many of them are said to be weak, hungry, and sick. So the same is expected from the police side.

According to a survey by South Africa’s Minerals Commission, illegal miners can spend months underground in old mines and travel up to 4 kilometres. However the circumstances underground are thought to be worsening in the absence of supplies.

Mathe stated that pathologists were present at the Stilfontein mine on Thursday and that one decomposing body had been taken to the surface.

Problems caused by illegal Miners:

In the former gold-mining regions of South Africa, illegal mining is still common with miners entering closed mines to search for any potential leftover deposits.

Frequently coming from nearby nations, the illegal miners are employed by larger networks as per the police.

Their presence in closed mines has also caused issues for the local populations who claim that the illegal miners commit crimes including rape and robbery.

It is well known that illegal mining organisations carry a lot of weapons and conflicts between competing groups can occasionally lead to deadly encounters.

As police stepped up their operations in the North West province starting on October 18, they targeted many mines including Stilfontein.

Since starting operations against illegal miners last December, police have seized over 369 high caliber firearms, 10,000 rounds of ammunition, 5 million rand ($275,000) in cash and 32 million rand ($1.75 million) worth of uncut diamonds, according to Mathe who also said they had information that the miners may be heavily armed.