WATCH | 14 miners arrested after resurfacing from Stilfontein mine

Stilfontein

Cape Town — The 14 illegal miners, including one teenager, that resurfaced from the Stilfontein mine in North West were arrested by police as part of Operation Vulindlela.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed the miners were arrested as soon as they resurfaced. She said the 14 who resurfaced were proof that the miners were not trapped but choosing to stay underground, TimesLIVE reported.

“They chose to come out late at night, thinking the police were not standing static. Others ran back into the shaft when they noticed the police presence. This shows the two shafts are linked and no one is trapped. They can come out but are refusing to resurface because they are avoiding arrest,” she said.

She added that the illegal miners confirmed that the 10 heavily armed Basotho nationals were guarding them and forcing them to dig for gold.

“The illegal miners were interviewed and they confirmed what we have been saying, that they are heavily armed men down there. It shows our intelligence is at work and they confirmed what we suspected,” she said.

Mathe added that the miners had their food and water that was sent down to them confiscated and not given to them, and instead, they’ve kept it for themselves as they want the illegal mining operations to continue.

According to IOL, Mathe also confirmed that the 14 illegal miners are all Mozambican nationals and are currently held in police cells and the operation continues.

According to eNCA, SAFTU  general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, said the Zama Zamas who remain underground may die a slow death if they do not resurface.

“The miners underground are now being subjected to a slow death. They don’t get food any more, since Saturday after the court order. They don’t get water, they don’t get medicine, they are not being brought up. Getting them up was slow and tedious, with reports suggesting it takes a full hour of hard work [to rescue them],” Vavi said.
Many of the miners who resurfaced on Monday morning said they would rather be arrested than continue suffering with no food or drinks, appearing as though it is a hostage situation. Most of the recruiters promised the miner’s job opportunities under false pretences, eNCA reported further.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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