A family in Khuma, near Stilfontein in the North West, is worried sick about a relative who has been stuck underground for more than a month.
The Moloi family is one of the many concerned that their family members, who were illegally mining gold in six abandoned mines, will return home alive.
To date, authorities have indicated that about 4,500 people were trapped. And some 1,500 are still trapped about 500 meters underground.
Operation Vala Umgodi
This came about after the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Illicit Mining team and the Operation Vala Umgodi launched their campaign. They camped at the mines in an attempt to arrest illegal miners.
Now that days have passed, the majority of the illegal miners are alleged to be unwell and starving. They are believed to be from Lesotho and Mozambique, Malawi, and South Africa. And reports allege that some of them have died underground.
A resident of Khuma, Sello Moloi, said all he wants is for his relative to resurface from underground.
“My cousin is a South African citizen. We all knew at home that he was mining illegally. And we were fine with it, because [before that] he used to break into other people’s homes or mug people. Since joining the illegal mining operation, his life has changed. He no longer steals, and [he] supports his family,” he said.
Most illegal miners were criminals in the community
Moloi said that his relative has a wife and three children. Two of them are at school, while one is still young. There are no jobs. And the majority of people who go underground do so to provide for their families,” he explained.
He said on Tuesday, the police permitted a community member to go into the shaft and try to feed them.
“He came back and told us that some of the people trapped underground had already died. …The majority of them struggle to walk and are weak. All we want is for our cousin to return to the surface. We know he’ll be arrested, but at least he’ll be alive. If he’s still alive,” he added.
A community member who requested anonymity, gave more details. He said a handful of those who went underground were members of the housebreaking syndicate and gangs.
“We hear that there are over 4,000 people in all six shafts. Picture what will happen if they come out. We are also concerned that they will be released and return to the community. [They will be] terrorising us as they previously did. It was better when they worked as illegal miners because we had fewer housebreaking cases,” he said.
He said it could take the authorities a day or more to retrieve only one person. “These are old shafts, with no electricity or mining ropes. It will be difficult for them to get out of there,” he explained.
EFF slams government over delays to rescue illegal miners
The provincial EFF has also raised concerns. “Dead bodies have been discovered by community members who have surveyed the mine.
“The EFF is dismayed by the report that the North West provincial government, South African Police Services, and the Department of Mineral Resources and Emergency Services cannot go underground to retrieve surviving miners and account for the dead bodies,” said head of media and communications Fanon Moema.
According to the North West police, several illegal miners have resurfaced.
“In total, the number of illegal miners who resurfaced between 18 October and 5 November rose to just above 1000,” said Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone in a statement.
When contacted for comment, Mokgwabone told Sunday World they had retrieved two illegal miners on Wednesday.
“The illegal miners resurfaced alive and were attended to by the paramedics. Yesterday, 15 illegal miners resurfaced. And we are hoping to retrieve more illegal miners as the day goes,” he said.
