A total of 20 more illegal miners resurfaced from the abandoned Stilfontein gold mine in North West on Wednesday afternoon.
The 20 illegal miners resurfaced from Margaret Shaft of the abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein.
All 20 are foreign nationals
North West police spokesperson Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said the illegal miners consist of 10 Lesotho nationals, six Zimbabwean nationals and four Mozambican nationals.
Mokgwabone said the miners were arrested and are still being processed.
On Sunday night, 14 illegal miners from Mozambique resurfaced from the abandoned mine in Stilfontein. The 14 illegal miners were arrested and taken to police cells.
A 14-year-old boy was among the 14 illegal miners arrested.
Police interviewed the arrested illegal miners after their arrest. They told police that there are heavily armed illegal miners (men) holed up underground the disused mine.
Heavily armed illegal miners reported to be underground
The arrested illegal miners also said the heavily armed men confiscated the food and water that’s being sent underground. They do this so that illegal mining activities can continue.
“A total of 14 illegal miners resurfaced on Sunday evening at shaft 10. This is near shaft 11, where all these other illegal miners have been resurfacing. The two shafts are linked, and this goes to show that no one is trapped. They [illegal miners] can actually come out on their own. But they are refusing to come out because they are refusing arrest … They were not expecting us to be at the mine at that time of the night. Our operations continue 24/7…,” said national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe.
Last week, government deployed mine rescue experts to the abandoned mine. This was in a bid to help the illegal miners resurface from the abandoned mine.
North West MEC for community safety and transport management Wessels Morweng gave details on the operation. He said government will use a machine to lift and take out the illegal miners underground at an abandoned mine.
Morweng said government will not disclose the finer details of how the plan will be executed.
He said no police officers will be sent underground the old, abandoned Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein to rescue the illegal miners.
Residents claim over 4,000 illegal miners are underground
Two weeks ago, residents of Khuma near Stilfontein gathered near the abandoned mine to help take out the illegal miners whom they say are their relatives.
Khuma community leaders said around 4,500 illegal miners are trapped underground.
Police minister Senzo Mchunu has denied claims that the miners are trapped underground. He said they simply refuse to come out.
Two weeks ago, the decomposed body of an illegal male miner was recovered by police from the disused mine.
Mathe said police are yet to establish the identity of the illegal miner. They are yet to establish what caused of the death of the illegal miner who was recovered dead.
Mathe said police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Operation Vala uMgodi
In the past three weeks, more than 1,000 illegal miners resurfaced from an abandoned mineshaft in Orkney, North West. This was because of the police’s Operation Vala Umgodi.
Operation Vala Umgodi began in December last year. Since its inception in December 2023 to date, more than 13, 691 suspects have been arrested. This in the seven provinces that are hotspots for illegal mining.
Police have seized R5-million in cash and uncut diamonds worth R32-million through Operation Vala Umgodi. The majority of those arrested include, but not limited to, South Africans, Mozambicans, and Lesotho nationals.
