President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the Stilfontein mine a ‘crime scene’ after a standoff with illegal miners holed-up in a mine shaft that was no longer in use. Picture: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the Stilfontein mine a "crime scene" after a stand-off with illegal miners holed-up in a mine shaft that was no longer in use.
He demanded in a statement released on Monday that the current state of affairs at the North West provincial site be resolved peacefully.
Together with other government agencies, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been trying to remove the illegal miners from the closed gold mine for more than a month.
Even though over 1,000 miners have been captured and sent to the surface, it's thought that hundreds more are still stuck in the shaft.
In reaction to the standoff, authorities have blocked access to the mine and stopped those providing the miners with food and water.
According to a recent Pretoria High Court decision, officials must unblock the hole so that miners can get food and water, among other necessities.
According to Ramaphosa, the government's larger state-wide effort, Vala Umgodi, is part of this operation and aims to tackle illegal mining activities nationwide.
He underlined that the country is losing billions of rand in lost export revenue, royalties, and taxes as a result of these illegal enterprises.
The hazardous materials used by illegal miners endanger the health of neighbouring communities. Last year, 16 people, including three children, were killed in an explosion in Boksburg in Gauteng linked to gas used by illegal miners to process gold.
This was just one of many such accidents linked to illegal mining activity that has claimed the lives of both miners and innocent civilians.
"We need to be clear that the activities of these miners are illegal. They pose a risk to our economy, communities and personal safety.
"The Stilfontein mine is a crime scene where the offence of illegal mining is being committed. It is standard police practice everywhere to secure a crime scene and to block off escape routes that enable criminals to evade arrest," he said.
So far, more than 1,000 miners have surfaced and been arrested and those who resurface are assessed by medical personnel on site.
Those in good health were detained and will be processed according to the law. Those who require medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard.
From his desk, Ramaphosa asserted that the police will carry out their duties and responsibilities to bring the illegal miners to the surface safely.
"They will do all they can to reduce the risk of harm to the miners and to our law enforcement officials.
"As a country committed to the rule of law and dedicated to upholding the human rights of all, we will continue to work towards a peaceful resolution of the stand-off at Stilfontein," he said.
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