OPERATIONS by Mining Rescue Services (MRS) have begun to pave the way to rescue the trapped miners in Stilfontein, and it is hoped that the actual rescue of the miners can start in full swing on Monday.
Gauteng High Court Judge Ronel Tolmay on Friday ordered that rescue operations had to begin after an urgent plea was made by the sister of one of the miners. The court ordered the State to finalise and send a service-level agreement and letter of appointment to MRS and also mandated the uninterrupted delivery of food, water and medical aid to the trapped miners over the weekend.
Various stakeholders, including the police, community workers and Lawyers for Human Rights, which is fighting the legal battle to save the trapped miners have met at the mine over the weekend.
MRS was also on site to meet with the community leaders to explain what their plan of action for the rescue is and to pave the way forward. MRS has received an instruction from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to rescue the miners and it started the groundwork on Saturday.
This includes preparing the ground/road to make sure trucks and machinery can come through. If the rain permits them to continue with their work, they hoped to be finished by Sunday evening or at the latest this morning.
This included compacting the road and area around the shaft so that they can start setting the rescue machine up this afternoon.
According to LHR, they will set up the winder, which is a machine with a hoist that will lower the cage down. The cage will be able to hold six people at a time, or maybe seven, depending on the size and weight of the miners.
The plan is that the cage will go down every hour. It is said that once they start on the area around the shaft, the community cannot intervene or send food down. However, once the cage is set up and goes down empty, food can be sent down. Two of the community leaders will go down with the cage to open the gate and help the miners into the cage.
It was suggested during the meeting that they first retrieve the bodies of the deceased ahead of the miners, with the volunteers using protective gear and taking body bags along.
The rescue operation is said to take place from six in the morning to six in the evening, although the rescue team expressed their willingness to work much later if possible.
Judge Tolmay, during her ruling on Friday, told the parties that if these rescue efforts faced any challenges, the court required immediate notification to intervene.
The Constitutional Court, meanwhile, granted the group Mining Affected Communities United in Action direct access to the apex court to intervene, if necessary, in the plight of the trapped miners. In setting out the path for the ConCourt application, that court had directed that all parties must lodge their submissions by Friday (January 17).
The group, with the aid of LHR, hopes for an order in the form of humanitarian aid, which includes food, water and medication to all the miners still underground and for the miners to be rescued without delay.
LHR is also asking for access to any miner arrested or detained who surfaces from shafts 10 and 11 of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine. No date has yet been set when that hearing will take place.
Cape Times