The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that at least 225 illegal miners resurfaced from an old mining shaft in Orkney, North West, due to starvation and dehydration.
The Acting National Commissioner of the SAPS, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, commended the Vala Umgodi task teams in the North West province for asserting the authority of the state.
Sibiya stated that these 225 miners, along with an additional 340, are part of a larger group believed to be hundreds, if not a thousand, who are trapped underground without food, water, or necessities because the Vala Umgodi teams, led by SAPS and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), are blocking routes used to deliver supplies.
Last week, SAPS and SANDF members prevented communities around the abandoned mining shafts in Orkney from delivering food parcels and water to these illegal miners. This enforcement action ultimately forced the miners to resurface.
The operation is ongoing, with SAPS and SANDF continuing to monitor the old mine shafts as more illegal miners emerge.
Sibiya noted that Operation Vala Umgodi is yielding positive results nationwide.
“We are closely monitoring the situation in the North West province; we will not back down until all those illegal miners resurface and are arrested. Since its inception in December 2023, over 13 691 suspects have been arrested in the seven provinces that are hotspots for illegal mining. We have seized R5 million in cash and uncut diamonds worth R32 million through Operation Vala Umgodi,” Sibiya stated.
The majority of those arrested include South Africans, Mozambicans, and Basotho nationals.
However, concerned community members in Matlosana and other mining areas have expressed worries about a potential humanitarian crisis stemming from the operation. Many miners, fearing imprisonment, have remained trapped underground for extended periods, sometimes going days without food or water.
“In our area of Matlosana, as well as other affected regions, we face a life-threatening crisis that demands immediate intervention. The government’s current approach to illegal mining is not only about enforcing laws but is tragically endangering human lives.
“Recent actions — where military and police have blocked entry and exit points to disused mines — have left illegal miners trapped underground for weeks, without access to food, water, or medical care. This blockade of essential supplies amounts to collective punishment of these individuals,” a prominent community leader told Independent Media on Sunday.
This community member indicated that without guarantees for their freedom, these miners would prefer to die underground.
Despite numerous meetings and engagements with police, local government, and other stakeholders, there seems to be no solution to this impasse.
Over the past few years, the South African government and law enforcement agencies have adopted a strict approach to unregulated mining activities.
Elsewhere in Gauteng, many of these miners, primarily from Lesotho, have engaged in deadly confrontations with police and rival factions.
In light of these reports, concerned individuals believe that these miners deserve humane treatment rather than being viewed as outlaws. In recent months, they have been petitioning for their release and humanitarian aid.
“While the government’s fight against illegal mining is important, their refusal to allow basic humanitarian aid to reach these individuals has crossed a line. The right to life is sacrosanct, protected by the South African Constitution and international law. These trapped miners, regardless of their legal status, have a fundamental right to life, and the government is complicit in violating this right through its inaction,” a community member stated.
Another resident, Nkosi Khoza from Khuma, expressed his inability to allow fellow human beings to remain trapped underground for prolonged periods.
“As a resident of Khuma, I cannot allow this to happen here in the surrounding areas of Sterkfontein, where the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) fails to close or rehabilitate old mines. Some residents have taken it upon themselves to go underground to make a living due to high unemployment levels in the country,” he said.
In an open letter to the government and human rights activists, the community seeks intervention to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
“We know for a fact that at least six miners have died underground due to lack of food and water. No more lives should be lost. The government cannot afford to let these miners die of starvation and neglect while they devise a plan. We demand immediate humanitarian aid and comprehensive rescue operations to save these individuals,” the group stated.
The Star