Bodies of dozens of illegal miners pulled to surface in South Africa

A total of 66 illegal miners have been rescued on Tuesday during renewed operations at shaft 11 in Stilfontein, North West.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the death toll has risen to 51.

She said since the rescue missions resumed, 82 have been arrested and they are facing charges of illegal mining, trespassing, and contravention of the immigration act charges.

”Two illegal miners who were found in possession of gold have also been charged with being in the illegal possession of gold-bearing material,” she added

On Monday, Mathe said 35 illegal miners were extracted and nine were certified dead.

The extraction of the miners and dead bodies followed the clearing of the site over the weekend and the arrival of a massive crane.

”Once they are extracted, the illegal miners are inspected for any illicit items such as gold nuggets and illegal firearms and thereafter assessed by paramedics on site,” according to a joint statement by Department of Police and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.

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”Those that require further medical care are taken to a health facility for further medical care, while those who are in good health are immediately detained.” 

The departments said all illegal miners are processed to determine their nationality and their immigration status, and once that is done, they are detained in police cells.

”Following the deaths of these illegal miners, [the SA Police Service] SAPS is investigating allegations that the food that was sent down, was allegedly limited and kept from these illegal miners as well as allegations of abuse and cases of assault, following videos that emerged from underground showing some illegal miners being beaten and tortured.”

The rescue mission is anticipated to last for the next 10 to 16 days.

On Monday, IOL reported that activists in North West have roundly condemned government’s slow intervention to rescue thousands of illegal miners who became trapped after police descended on the area as part of operation Vala Umgodi.

President of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA), Mametlwe Sebei said footage has been received from the underground shafts, showing piles of dead and starving people, supports the narrative that a “massacre” has happened at Stilfontein.

He said the estimated 109 bodies are yet to be hoisted from the mine shaft.

“What has transpired here has to be called what it is. This is Stilfontein massacre, because what the footage does is that it shows a pile of human bodies, of miners that died needlessly,” he said.

”This massacre, which is what it is, is really a bloody culmination of a treacherous policy that was pursued by the government and in this police operation.”

First published by IOL