South African Minister Senzo Mchunu has extended an olive branch to illegal miners engaged in a standoff with police, marking a more conciliatory tone compared to previous government officials who labeled them as “criminals.”
While Mchunu acknowledged that the miners are committing a crime by remaining underground in a disused shaft, he emphasized the government’s desire to save lives and ensure a safe resolution to the situation. This contrasts with the remarks from minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who had previously stated, “We are not sending help to criminals” and intended to “smoke them out.”
Reports indicate that hundreds of individuals are trapped underground in the Stilfontein abandoned shaft, which descends over a mile deep, searching for leftover gold. Police have cut off food and water supplies in an effort to encourage the miners to surface. In recent weeks, more than 1,000 illegal miners have returned to the surface at various sites in South Africa’s North West province as law enforcement steps up its crackdown. At least one body has been recovered from the Stilfontein area.
Mchunu visited the site on Friday and remarked, “We need a much quicker process because it is risky and dangerous for them to remain where they are.”
Community members have gathered at the site, anxious for the return of their loved ones. Roselina Nyuzeya, a Zimbabwean national, expressed her concern, stating, “I’m here waiting for young people who are underground, who are dying.” She shared that a fellow woman was crying for her husband, who had been trapped underground since April.
According to police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe, between 350 and 400 miners remain underground. Many of these miners come from neighboring countries, and authorities believe that larger syndicates are involved in these illegal operations. The Stilfontein mine has been targeted in a police crackdown that intensified on October 18.
Mathe highlighted the dangers of sending personnel into the abandoned mine, stating, “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.” She also noted the possibility that the miners may be heavily armed.
