Police halt food, water provision for illegal miners at Stilfontein

Illegal miners at an abandoned mineshaft.

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The South African Police Services (SAPS) has confirmed that it has stopped the process of providing food and water to illegal miners still underground at a mine shaft in Stilfontein in the North West.

One body was retrieved on Tuesday while five people were brought to the surface yesterday.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe says they halted the process because the miners were not showing any willingness to resurface.

“We have gone to great lengths to try and get these illegal miners to resurface and one such a decision that was reached two days ago was to allow food and water to go down so they can gather strength to come up. But we’ve sent that food and water down there, they are not resurfacing, so it seems as though they are not willing to resurface,” says Mathe.

Stilfontein Mine | Corlett Letlojane on the protection of illegal miners:

Mathe says the police will not be held ransom by the zama zamas.

“The message is very clear. We are not going to be blackmailed. We are not going to be held ransom by these illegal miners. We are going to continue to stamp the authority of the state,” says Mathe.