Team begins operation to find Stilfontein’s illegal miners – SABC News

A task force led by North West Public Safety MEC Wessels Morweng has launched the first phase of the operation to capture the suspects illegal miners to the surface in the Stilfontein mine.

Illegal miners refuse to leave the previously reconstructed shaft 11 in the mine.

Yesterday, a mining rescue team inspected the shaft to determine what equipment they needed before they could begin the recovery operation.

The site is expected to be cleared over the next few days before the official removal operation begins.

The community stopped removing illegal miners to allow a task force appointed by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to take control.

It is not known how many miners remained underground.

Thembil Botman, the local leader in charge of searching for the miners, expressed concern that the authorities were not providing the miners with food underground.

Botman says: “The only thing that worried us is that the authorities have no plans to give them food while they are waiting, at least to keep them alive or to support them. We will hope that after six days we are rescuing people who are still alive and not corpses.”

VIDEO | Calls for more efforts to remove illegal miners in Stilfontein: