South Africa’s Stilfontein mine: Locked mine that killed dozens

Only two of the 87 dead have been identified, with many being undocumented migrants, complicating the process, police said Thursday.

“We think the government has blood on its hands,” Magnificent Mndebele of the Mine-Affected Communities United Action Group (Makua) told the BBC.

He claimed that the miners were given no warning of what would happen before the police operation began.

Over the past two months, Makua has been at the forefront of various court battles to force the government to first allow supplies and then carry out a rescue operation.

His accusations against the government echo previous statements by families who say the authorities killed their loved ones.

As the operation intensified, they took a tough stance. In November, a minister, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said during a press briefing that they would “smoke them”.

The state refused to allow anyone to help ship food or evict the miners, intervening only after several successful court appeals.

In November, instant corn and small portions of water made it down the shaft, but in court testimony, one miner said it wasn’t enough for the hundreds of people below, many of whom were too weak to even chew or swallow. they are.

More food was delivered in December, but still failed to sustain the men.

Given that the operation to bring in the men and the bodies took just three days, Mr Mndebele struggled to understand why it could not have been done sooner, one thing was clear.

“Frankly, we’re disappointed with our government because this help came so late.”

Although the government has yet to officially respond to the allegations, the police have vowed to continue a wider operation to clear the country of unexploded landmines by May this year.

Speaking to reporters in Stilfontein on Tuesday, Minister of Mines Gwede Mantashe was unapologetic. He said that the government would strengthen the fight against illegal mining, which he called crime and “attack on the economy”.

On Thursday, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was a little more conciliatory.

“I understand and accept that this is an emotional issue. Everyone wants to judge … but it would help us all as South Africans to wait until the pathologists have done their work and done their work,” he said.

Police defended their actions by saying that providing food to the miners would “enable the development of crime”.

Illegal miners are accused of encouraging crime in the communities where they operate.

A number of reports have been published in the local media linking zama zama to various rapes and murders.

But for Mkwayi, who risked his own safety to help the miners, the men at the Stilfontein mine were just trying to make ends meet.

“People risked their lives to put food on the table for their families by rappelling down 2km.”

He said he wants the government to issue licenses to miners who are forced into abandoned mines due to high unemployment in South Africa.

“If your kids are hungry, you won’t think twice about going down there because you have to feed them. You’ll risk your life to put food on the table.”