https://www.miningweekly.com
Explosives|Export|Gas|Gold|Health|Mining|Safety|Service|Surface|Underground|Water|Operations
Explosives|Export|Gas|Gold|Health|Mining|Safety|Service|Surface|Underground|Water|Operations
explosives|export|gas|gold|health|mining|safety|service|surface|underground|water|operations

Ramaphosa calls for peaceful resolution to police standoff with illegal miners

Illegal miners

Photo by Reuters

18th November 2024

By: Sashnee Moodley

Senior Deputy Editor Polity and Multimedia

     

Font size: - +

President Cyril Ramaphosa described the Stilfontein mine as a “crime scene”, on Monday, as he called for a peaceful resolution to the standoff at the disused mine shaft, where illegal miners are holed up.

The South African Police Service and government departments have been trying, for over a month, to surface the illegal miners from the abandoned North West gold mine.

While more than 1 000 miners have since surfaced and been arrested, it is believed that there are still hundreds of illegal miners in the shaft. Police had closed off the mine’s entrances and stopped supplies of water and food to the miners. However, the Pretoria High Court has since ruled that the shaft be unblocked by police to allow for food and water to reach the miners.

One body has been retrieved from the mine.

Ramaphosa said this operation formed part of government’s nationwide Operation Vala Umgodi crackdown to curb illegal mining activities in the country, which he said cost the economy billions in lost export income, royalties and taxes.

“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. In doing so, the police must take great care to ensure that lives are not put at risk and that the rights of all people are respected,” he said.

Miners who surface from the mine shaft are medically assessed and detained if found to be in good health. Others are transported to the hospital under police guard.

Ramaphosa said government was engaging with mining companies to ensure they carried out their responsibility to close or rehabilitate mines that were not operational.

However, he revealed that police believed that some miners underground were armed, which he suggested was expected, claiming that illegal miners were recruited by gangs involved with organised crime.

“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. Because of the many hazards such an operation poses, law enforcement agencies have been negotiating with the illegal miners since the stand-off began to get them to the surface and to safety,” Ramaphosa said.

He acknowledged the public debate around the rights of the illegal miners but pointed to documented violence and intimidation meted out by the miners, as well as crimes attributed to some, such as murder, rape and illegal immigration.

He also noted a gas explosion last year, that killed 16 people, in Boksburg, which was linked to illegal mining activities.

Ramaphosa assured that the police will carry out its operations safely at Stilfontein, to ensure low risk of harm to miners and police officers, but noted that the situation was “volatile”.

“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 stated.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Showroom

Schauenburg SmartMine IoT
Schauenburg SmartMine IoT

SmartMine IoT has been developed with the mining industry in mind, to provides our customers with powerful business intelligence and data modelling...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Multotec
Multotec

Multotec, recognised industry leaders in metallurgy and process engineering help mining houses across the world process minerals more efficiently,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Magazine round up | 06 December 2024
Magazine round up | 06 December 2024
6th December 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.081 0.109s - 130pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now