President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed government’s commitment to resolving the tense situation at Stilfontein in the North West, through peaceful and safe measures.
In his weekly newsletter to the nation on Monday, the President emphasised the importance of upholding human rights and fostering peace amidst the ongoing standoff in the area.
“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 standoff at Stilfontein,” the President said.
So far, more than 1 000 miners have surfaced and have been arrested, and those who resurface are assessed by medical personnel on site.
Those in good health are detained and will be processed according to the law, while those who require medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard.
The President made it clear that the activities of these miners are illegal and they pose a risk to the nation’s 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.
In doing so, the President emphasised that the police must take great care to ensure that lives are not put at risk and that the rights of all people are respected.
“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.
“We will continue to work with the mining industry to ensure they take responsibility for rehabilitating or closing mines that are no longer operational,” the President said.
President Ramaphosa further reiterated that government has made a clear determination to deal with acts of criminality, whether they be cash-in-transit heists, extortion, illegal mining, gang violence and related crimes.
He said illegal mining is a form of criminality that has caused a great deal of anger and anguish in communities.
To address this problem, government set up an illegal mining task force involving various parts of the security cluster. Personnel from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were deployed to support the work of the police.
For over a month now, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other government agencies have been working to resolve the situation of several hundred illegal miners refusing to surface from the abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein.
The President reiterated that the miners, who entered the mine to conduct illegal mining operations, face arrest.
The operation forms part of the nationwide Operation Vala Umgodi, which continues to register gains in cracking down on illicit mining activities across the country.
“Law enforcement authorities have information that some of the miners may be heavily armed. It is well-established that illegal miners are recruited by criminal gangs and form part of wider organised crime syndicates.
“The hazardous nature of illicit and unregulated mining poses considerable risk in terms of the presence of explosives, the inhalation of toxic fumes and the possible collapse of unstable mine shafts. This endangers not only the illegal miners, but also our police and other law enforcement agencies,” the President said.
Because of the many hazards such an operation poses, the President explained that law enforcement agencies have been negotiating with the illegal miners since the standoff began to get them to the surface and to safety.
The operation, which poses significant risks, has seen police, mine safety experts, and emergency personnel maintaining a presence at the site.
To curtail illicit activities, police have sealed off entrances used by the miners to transport supplies underground. This move has sparked widespread public debate over the rights and activities of illegal miners.
“The acts of violence and intimidation of communities by illegal miners is well-documented. Some illegal miners have been implicated in serious and violent crimes, including murder and gang rape. Many are in the country illegally. Illicit mining activity costs our economy billions of rands in lost export income, royalties and taxes.
“Violence between rival gangs over the spoils of illicit mining has spilled over into surrounding communities and has cost a number of lives,” the President said.
The President further noted that the hazardous materials used by illegal miners endangers 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 that has claimed the lives of both miners and innocent civilians.
