Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has established a technical rescue team to conduct a risk assessment that will inform an operational plan to assist in bringing scores of illegal miners in Stilfontein, North West to the surface.
Mchunu, joined by his deputy Cassel Mathale, Premier Lazarus Mokgosi and Community Safety and Transport MEC Wessels Morweng, visited the shaft.
Morweng has been appointed to chair the rescue team which will also comprise police, district and local mayor, community leaders, mine owners, mine rescue technical team and government departments.
“The mine owners indicated that there is a need to clear the site before any resource can be deployed on site, which they committed to implement immediately when the community members have vacated the area.
“We need to allow the technical rescue team to make the proper risk assessment that will inform this operational plan. Our common ground here is to rescue those people. The earlier we talk to community members on site and allow the mine owners and technical rescue team to clear the site and deploy relevant machinery to do the risk assessment and start to operationalise the plan,” said Morweng.
The establishment of the technical rescue team took place on Friday, a day before the Society for the Protection of Our Constitution approached the Pretoria High Court for an urgent order.
Judge Brenda Neukircher ordered on Saturday that pending finalisation of the application, the mineshaft must be unblocked and may not be locked by any person or institution whether government or private.
“Any miners trapped in the mine shaft shall be permitted to exit. No non-emergency personnel may enter the mineshaft,” said Judge Neukircher.
The matter is expected to return to court on Tuesday for respondents, the ministers of police, health, mineral resources and co-operative governance and traditional affairs, to make their representations.
Community volunteers who have been hard at work making attempts to bring the illegal miners also known as zama zamas to the surface, halted operations on Sunday to rest and are expected to resume their efforts on Monday.
They have been underground for several months and since the police’s Operation Vala Umgodi, many refused to resurface for fear of arrest.
Police had since blocked the supply of food and water to compel them to emerge. This led to some being ill, weak and a decomposed body was retrieved last week.
About 12 illegal miners were retrieved and brought to the surface by the community volunteers last week, including four on Saturday and five, Wednesday.
Police national spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said they welcomed the interim court order and that static deployment operations continue at all abandoned and disused mineshafts in the Stilfontein area.
“The order does not in any way prevent SAPS from performing its constitutional mandate. All those who resurface will continue to be assessed by emergency medical personnel on site, as has been the case. Those that are in good health will be processed and detained. Those that require further medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard.
“As of 4pm on Saturday afternoon, three illegal miners resurfaced. Earlier, one South African was arrested at a house used as a smelter in Kanana.
He was found to be in possession of gold-bearing material. Equipment used in illegal mining operations was also seized in this intelligence driven operation,” said Mathe. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said their investigation has started with visits at the sites Thursday and Friday.
“These visits provided the Commission with a deeper and clearer understanding of the complexities surrounding the issue, including competing values and imperatives, the potential challenges of a rescue operation, and the urgent need for measures to protect the miners’ lives while upholding the rule of law and not risking the lives and safety of SAPS personnel.
“As part of its investigation, the Commission will continue engaging with SAPS and other stakeholders involved in the ‘Vala Umgodi’ operation in Stilfontein, including the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), among others, to clarify their respective roles and responsibilities towards the miners and the Stilfontein community, if any. Recognising the public’s interest in this matter, the Commission will provide further updates on its investigation and intervention in due course,” said the commission.
Cape Times