14 illegal miners arrested after resurfacing in Stilfontein

A group of 14 illegal miners resurfaced from shaft 10 at the Stilfontein disused mine on Sunday night.

According to police, all the men are Mozambique nationals, and a 14-year-old boy is among them.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said they have all been arrested.

She said the miners resurfaced near a shaft from which other illegal miners have been resurfacing.

Mathe said the resurfacing proves they are not trapped but are simply refusing to resurface.

They chose to come out late at night, thinking police are not standing static. Others ran back into the shaft as soon as they noticed the police presence.Police spokesperson - Athlenda Mathe

“They chose to come out late at night, thinking police are not standing static. Others ran back into the shaft as soon as they noticed the police presence. This shows the two shafts are linked and no-one is trapped. They can come out but are refusing to resurface because they are avoiding arrest,” she said.

Mathe said the illegal miners confirmed there are 10 heavily armed Basotho nationals who are guarding them and forcing them to dig for gold.

“The illegal miners were interviewed and they confirmed what we have been saying, that they are heavily armed men down there. It shows our intelligence is at work and they confirmed what we suspected. They told us the food and water that has been sent down was confiscated by the heavily armed men and not given to the miners. They are keeping it for themselves because they want to continue illegal mining operations,” she said. 

Mathe said police operations continue.

More than 1,000 illegal miners have resurfaced in recent weeks after Operation Vala Umgodi was mounted by police in NorthWest.

Police and soldiers began by blocking supplies of food, water and other necessities to the illegal miners in mid-October. 

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