Five suspected illegal mine workers had been retrieved alive from a mine shaft in Stilfontein, North West, by late Wednesday afternoon.
They were assisted by about 50 residents who volunteered to rescue the miners who were too weak to come to the surface by themselves.
The residents used ropes to pull out the miners who were too weak because of lack of water and food. Residents estimate that around 4 500 suspected illegal miners are still underground.
The miners have reportedly been underground for several months.
It was a dangerous operation to assist illegal mineworkers struggling to get to the surface, a group of 50 men from the community signed indemnity forms and started pulling up the miners from underground, while others watched from a distance.
Those who were rescued received medical attention.
Residents are calling for the government to lend a hand.
Five illegal miners rescued by community members near Klerksdorp
‘Government’s inability’
Meanwhile, the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) has expressed concern about the government’s inability to rescue suspected illegal miners who are still trapped in mine shafts in Orkney and Stilfontein in the North West.
The illegal miners became trapped after the Police and the SANDF launched Operation Vala Mgodi, last month.
Locals say there are about 4500 illegal mine workers trapped underground.
Earlier today the Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stated that the government will not offer any assistance to the stranded illegal miners.
MACUA National Coordinator Meshack Mbangula says, “Firstly, it’s very important that you should be able to assist in taking out those people. Save the lives of the people underground and then other processes can be followed. But I find it very strange for the government not to act to save the lives of people out there. Because what put those people down there is poverty, unemployment, and as long as there’s poverty, people will go down there because they need to put bread on the table.” – Additional reporting by Thabiso Moss
Zebilon Maine
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