Some locals at Stilfontein, in the North West province, where hundreds of illegal mineworkers are believed to be underground, say a false narrative of illegal mining taking place in the area is being spread.
The community has been working with law enforcement officers to bring mine workers to the surface from the abandoned old Buffelsfontein gold mine. Three zama zamas were reportedly brought to surface on Saturday.
Molebogeng Matebesi, a compliance officer at the Greater Stilfontein Socio-Economic Empowerment Foundation, elaborates: “Let me just correct the deceived story. The foundation was formed in 2021- where we are here at, it’s our jurisdiction, it’s in there in the map. The Department of Mineral Resources at the regional level, led by comrade Phomotso, he gave us an advice – how do we get involved? So, we went to them that we’ve got a transformative agenda, we’re tired of being called illegal miners and illegal what what- we applied for Section 104. Section 104- in the mineral petroleum resource development act speaks of community rights. We’ve got everything, with due diligence since 2021.”
Stilfontein Mine | Emergency teams get access to illegal miners:
The High Court in Pretoria has ordered that the mine shaft in Stilfontein must be unblocked for emergency personnel and that no person should block it.
This comes after the Society for the Protection of our Constitution approached the court on an urgent basis.
The court further orders that any miners underground should be permitted to exit and that emergency personnel may enter the mine shaft.
Stilfontein Mine | Retrieval of illegal miners continues in earnest:
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