Police minister says Stilfontein rescue operation delayed by safety concerns

The uncertainty over the safety of officials who are to embark on a rescue operation to bring illegal miners underground to the surface is one of the reasons causing the delay in kicking off with the operation. 

Police minister Senzo Mchunu revealed this as he made his return to Stilfontein in North West, where illegal miners are underground and refusing to come up due to fears of facing arrest.

According to some of the illegal miners who have been able to resurface, some of them were held against their will, while it's also alleged that some are unable to come out due to ill health. 

Mchunu made his first visit to the area two weeks ago and appointed a task team to chart a way forward with the rescue operation.

During his visit, he made a commitment that a rescue operation would commence to bring those underground to the surface. However, little has been done since then. 

Mchunu explained the challenges facing the rescue team. 

“It can be done, but the rescuers are reluctant because of the dangers that they are talking about. 

“They [rescuers] also included in their report that because it is not clear who is there and also because there are reports or rumours that there are people who are armed there, it adds to the danger if you go down there and something happened and all of that,” he said. 

The miners had been underground for weeks in a 2km-deep shaft when police pounced on them at exit points during Operation Vala Umgodi, which is aimed at combating illegal mining.

The police operation included stopping food supplies from being sent underground.

During his engagements with residents about calls to send food and other essentials down to the miners, he asked if sending food would be lawful or unlawful. 

“Will that promote lawfulness or it will promote unlawfulness? Remember I spoke about balance. So don't be one-sided because we are building a country here.

“Let's be realistic and practical but I say don't hide your interests even if they are personal. Just tell us, 'I have someone who is my lover inside so please look after him because I still love him'. But does that mean we must keep him there?” he asked. 

Over the past few weeks, miners have slowly been resurfacing.

The court on Monday dismissed an application brought by the Society for the Protection of our Constitution seeking to compel government departments, including the police service, to provide emergency disaster relief to illegal miners underground by providing food, water, blankets and medical relief.

Mchunu said police would continue with Operation, Vala Umgodi but with certain elements added.

One of those elements was a need to address the socioeconomic challenges regarding mines and derelict mines.

“We need to correct that there was insufficient consultation and I think we have taken the first step to correct those by having the task team because that is a way of consulting and working, not just in the meeting, but continuously working with the community,” he added. 

Mchunu said many residents of the area had complained they were suffering from poverty and unemployment and felt forced to try to make a living from abandoned mines.

“They say we were forced by our own circumstances as people from these townships to look for a living because we are poor and there are no jobs,” he said. 

He added that when the concept of Operation Vala Umgodi was put together, it could have been “better or richer if it was coupled with another aspect to address issues within communities where there is illegal mining”. 

“These communities are also by large experiencing high levels of unemployment; how do we, in the process, address the two challenges? Poverty and unemployment.

“Now, therefore, whoever was involved in crafting Operation Vala Umgodi — aware or non-aware, consciously or unconsciously — they also committed an error, but they were not alone in this,” he said. 

Mchunu said stakeholders should have developed a programme to address the issue of poverty and unemployment when implementing Operation Vala Umgodi. 

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