Stilfontein: Letter puts underground body count at 109
Suspected illegal miners at the disused Stilfontein mine in the North West have sent up a letter for the first time in over two weeks.
An unknown number of miners remain underground, awaiting intervention from the government to help back up to the surface.
Over 1,500 people have resurfaced since police intensified their anti-illicit mining operation in the area, resulting in the disruption of food and water supply to the miners.
Over a dozen bodies have been retrieved by community volunteers so far.
In the latest letter, the miners plead for assistance, adding that the number of bodies still underground has reached 109.
They paint a dire picture of severe malnutrition and starvation as volunteer-led operations to lower food down to the shaft have been interrupted by the wet weather.
Earlier claims from underground said some of the miners had resorted to cannibalism out of desperation.
READ: 6 more ‘starved’ miners emerge in Stilfontein
Among the list of items, the miners request in the letter are face masks, washing powder, and batteries.
Meanwhile, officials from the Mine Rescue Services have been on site to assess the situation but it’s still unclear when they will begin rescue operations.
It’s been two months since police minister Senzo Mchunu tasked the provincial MEC for public safety Wessels Morweng to lead a task team that would oversee the retrieval of the miners from shaft 11.
The Good Party is the latest organisation to add to calls for minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe to intervene, as the standoff between police and the suspected illegal miners continues.
“Not only has the South African Police been of no assistance, but they have blocked the rescue operations that previously saw many of the miners being rescued, dismantling the pulley system built by the community volunteers,” said Good’s general secretary Brett Herron.
Lobby groups, including the Mining Affected Communities United in Action, have approached the highest court in the land after failing to compel the state to urgently retrieve the miners and provide humanitarian assistance through the lower courts.
“While the Constitutional Court has agreed to hear the matter, the time it will take is likely to result in the death of more, if not all, the surviving miners,” added Herron.
The party called on Mantashe and Mchunu to work with the teams on the ground.
At the same time, the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa has called on the community of Stilfontein, and the surrounds, to mobilise and join a planned community protest in Klerksdorp.
Police have maintained that they have carried out the operations within the confines of the law, and will continue to follow their mandate to prevent and combat crime.
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Meanwhile, officials from the Mine Rescue Services have been on site to assess the situation but it’s still unclear when they will begin rescue operations.
It’s been two months since police minister Senzo Mchunu tasked the provincial MEC for public safety Wessels Morweng to lead a task team that would oversee the retrieval of the miners from shaft 11.
The Good Party is the latest organisation to add to calls for minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe to intervene, as the standoff between police and the suspected illegal miners continues.
“Not only has the South African Police been of no assistance, but they have blocked the rescue operations that previously saw many of the miners being rescued, dismantling the pulley system built by the community volunteers,” said Good’s general secretary Brett Herron.
Lobby groups, including the Mining Affected Communities United in Action, have approached the highest court in the land after failing to compel the state to urgently retrieve the miners and provide humanitarian assistance through the lower courts.
“While the Constitutional Court has agreed to hear the matter, the time it will take is likely to result in the death of more, if not all, the surviving miners,” added Herron.
The party called on Mantashe and Mchunu to work with the teams on the ground.
At the same, the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa has called on the community of Stilfontein, and the surrounds, to mobilise and join the planned community protest in Klerksdorp on Saturday.
Police have maintained that they have carried out the operations within the confines of the law, and will continue to follow their mandate to prevent and combat crime.
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