Illegal miners are not trapped, they are afraid of arrest – Lt-Gen Mosiliki in court papers

In the papers, Mosikili says police must combat and investigate, adding that the Stilfontein mine shaft is considered a crime scene as the zama zamas are heavily armed.

“Despite this, police in their operation ‘vala umgodi‘ have never blocked illegal miners from exiting through the Stilfontein mining shaft. But instead, they have prevented explosives, alcohol, generators and illegal firearms from being lowered to these illegal miners,” Mosikili said.

“Entrance or exit at Stilfontein mine shaft is unsafe; I say so because Stilfontein mine is estimated to be 2km deep. Thus, it is unsafe for any emergency personnel to enter the mine through this shaft without the experts having conducted a risk assessment analysis.”

Human rights activist, Abderrrahman Regragui, argued in court papers that the illegal miners had been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining. On Saturday, the Pretoria high court granted an order preventing the police from blocking the shaft.

The organisation wants the government to provide all necessary emergency disaster relief to the illegal miners underground at the Stilfontein mine such as food, water, medical aid and blankets.

Their lawyer, Yasmin Ormar, said the situation in Stilfontein was between “life and death”.

However, in the papers, Mosikili says: “Those illegal miners who died, if any, died as a result of other reasons that will be revealed when the autopsy received as opposed to them not receiving any basic food supplies or being unable to exit.”

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