South Africa sets up inter-agency team to help bring illegal miners to the surface

Authorities in South Africa have put together a team including mine rescue experts to come up with a plan to bring to surface illegal miners

On Friday (Nov. 15), a government delegation led by the police minister visited the site and engaged with the community and relatives of the miners who remain under a disused gold mine in a town south west of Johannesburg.

“We need a much more quicker process because it is risky and dangerous for them to remain where they are for a longer period,” Senzo Mchunu said.

“Now, in order to achieve that, not only do we need the multiplicity of agencies here, as it is, the case at the moment including South African National Defense Force. But we need the community. We need their understanding. We need their cooperation, but we need their willingness to come across challenges.”

Mchunu added hey had been advised that the mineshaft was 2,500 metres deep and that an intervention was very dangerous.

He added that his team was also wary of the fact that the miners may be heavily armed.

According to the police, 369 firearms, 10,000 rounds of ammunition, 5 million rand ($275,000) in cash and 32 million rand ($1.75 million) worth of uncut diamonds have been recovered from illegal miners since the government’s operation began.

Officials have closed entrances to the mineshaft used to bring them food, water and other basic necessities as part of a government strategy to force them to return to the surface and be arrested.

A body believed to be of one of the miners was brought to the surface on Thursday (Nov. 14), and police said they were still trying to determine the person’s identity and cause of death.

Relatives of miners are torn between anguish and hope.

“four of my family members were trapped in shaft 10 and shaft 3. So far only my partner has made it out. The three others are still underground. I have no idea if they are still alive or not because we’ve heard of dead bodies being pulled out of there. We haven’t had a chance to see or identify any of the bodies. But so far, I remain hopeful and may get some sleep at night,” Priscilla shared.

Xuna, another community member was revolted: “Some members of the government are parents to small boys, how would they feel if their children were underground, dying of hunger? Would they be happy? Of course not. But their children live privileged lives. The minister was here to see the shaft this morning and I hope he saw the tragedy and pain going on underground. May he have the heart to understand that those are also people’s children.”

There are no official estimates of the numbers of trapped miners, but police initially cited local information and said up to 4,000 may be underground. b

A a police spokesperson on Thursday said that figure was highly infllated adding that about 400 people could be underground.

More than 1,000 miners have surfaced at various mines in North West province, with many reported to be weak, hungry and sickly after going for weeks without basic necessities.

Some family members of the illegal miners have pleaded with the government to deploy resources and expertise to get them out, with community members retrieving some miners themselves this week.