The police say they will not go underground and endanger their lives to rescue illegal miners in the North West as they are believed to be heavily armed.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said: “As a responsible government we are not going to allow our men and women in blue and our soldiers to go down there to combat this particular activity. It is dangerous.”
Earlier this month more than 50 illegal miners emerged and reported many others were underground at a mine near the town of Stilfontein. They are reported to be weak from a lack of food and water.
On Thursday afternoon three illegal miners resurfaced from the abandoned shaft, and the decomposed body of an illegal miner was retrieved by community members who have been helping rescue those underground.
Police and defence ministry officials visited the site on Friday to “bring the operation to a safe and lawful conclusion”.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/authors/bulelani-nonyukela/
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