Over 4,000 Illegal Miners Remain Trapped Underground, Community Fear Many Could Be Dead Already

• Police are waiting for over 4,000 miners to resurface from an abandoned mine shaft in the North West
• Community members who went into the shaft to speak to miners confirmed that some had already died
• The North West Police Spokesperson confirmed that the men will be arrested when they resurface

NORTH WEST – Concerns are being raised about the health and safety of illegal miners still trapped underground.

Approximately 4,000 miners remain underground in an abandoned mine shaft, but community members have stated that some are already dead.

Over 1,000 miners have already resurfaced following the start of Operation Vala Umgodi.

Miners trapped underground in bad condition

Vala Umgodi, a joint operation between the SAPS and SANDF, has forced many miners to the surface by cutting off their food and water supply.

While this has helped in arresting over 1,000 miners, it’s also left many below the surface who are too frail to leave.

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Community members who recently entered the mines confirmed to police that many were in poor condition. After police said it was too dangerous for their officers to go into the shaft, members of the community volunteered to go into the abandoned mine to speak to those below.

“The volunteer estimated around 4,000 illegal miners are still trapped underground, and it is apparent that some of them are not in good condition health-wise. We were also told that some have died. We cannot dispute the information. We are taking what he gave us,” said North West police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone.

Some of the miners have been in the shaft for months, and even their family members are unsure whether they are okay.

Miners will be arrested after resurfacing

While the police’s main concern is ensuring that the miners are brought to the surface, Mokgwabone confirmed they will arrest those brought to the surface.

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“Unfortunately, we will have to arrest them when they resurface because illegal mining is a criminal offence. We will have to deal with them in terms of the laws of the country,” Mokgwabone said.

SAPS arrest over 140 zama zamas

In another article, Briefly News reported that the police in the North West arrested over 140 illegal miners.

The police pounced on them at a mine in Stilfontein in Potchefstroom and cuffed them. Many of them were undocumented foreign nationals who were brought in to work in the mine.

Source: Briefly News