A total of 14 illegal miners were arrested after they emerged from the disused mines at Stilfontein in North West where they have been holed up for months following the arrival of police as part of Operation Vala Umgodi.
National police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the 14 illegal miners, colloquially known as zama zamas, who emerged on Sunday night are all Mozambicans.
“A total of 14 illegal miners resurfaced last night. They are all Mozambicans and are all in police cells. Operations continue,” Mathe said on Monday morning.
In an earlier update around midnight on Sunday, Mathe said 11 men had emerged from the shaft, when she said proves that the illegal miners are not trapped underground.
“Eleven illegal miners just got out at shaft 10 which is linked to shaft 11 - proving that they are not trapped - they just refuse to resurface. They chose to come out late at night, thinking police are no more standing static,” said Mathe.
“Others ran back into the shaft as soon as they noticed the police presence.”
Last week, police say extortionists are demanding part of the money allocated for specialists to retrieve the Stilfontein illegal miners who are underground.
Extortionists have made demands for some of the money set aside for the extensive operation being set up to extract illegal miners stranded underground at Stilfontein in North West.
Groundwork is being done by specialist mine rescue workers, using heavy machinery to set up their operation to rescue the zama zamas.
However, North West police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone told journalists at the site that the operation to rescue the trapped illegal miners – said to be in their thousands - has been targeted by extortionists.
“We are happy with what is happening, we are still maintaining that we are working with community leaders but it is a unfortunate that we seem to be experiencing a bit of a challenge, but this is something we will deal with as the police.
“As you know, we had contractors working here, clearing the site and doing whatever that needed to be done. We are aware that some or one of the people that were here yesterday demanded something like 30 percent, meaning that we are starting to see issues relating to extortion,” said Mokgwabone.
The rescue operation was initiated after Police Minister Senzo Mchunu visited the area.
Mchunu led a high-level government delegation to Stilfontein where the zama zamas have been stranded underground, in disused mines for months after police and soldiers arrived in the area as part of Operation Vala Umgodi.
IOL