Stilfontein update: Another 15 illegal miners resurface as death toll climbs

A total of 26 illegal miners resurfaced at a disused mine shaft at Stilfontein between Tuesday and Wednesday, where an unknown number of illegal miners have been holed up for over two months.

Police said from this number, 11 resurfaced on Tuesday while 15 came out on Wednesday.

Fourteen of the illegal miners are from Mozambicans, 11 from Lesotho, and one is a South African national.

Meanwhile, 11 bodies have been retrieved since November.

The 11th body was retrieved on Tuesday by community volunteers who lowered food down to the trapped miners, colloquially referred to as zama zamas.

The same day, a message written in blue ink on a white piece of paper was hoisted from the underground by community members where the illegal miners asked for beef.

The message seen by IOL read: "We apologise to tell u that those sick people, they ask us to tell u that they want something like beef so that they can be tight and also instant porridge they will be thankful (sic)."

The food items that were delivered include instant porridge and water.

The items were delivered after a court order allowed the community in Stilfontein to provide food to the trapped miners.

On Sunday, another urgent application was made at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria by a community-based organisation, Mining Affected Community in Action (Macua), seeking an urgent court order to compel the government to provide humanitarian aid to the miners. 

The Star reported Judge Nicolene van Nieuwenhuizen granted an interim order allowing for the immediate provision of aid, which will remain in effect until a full court hearing on Thursday. 

Approximately 96 of the over 1,000 miners who have resurfaced in the area are minors.

Many claim they were coerced into working underground by armed gangs, prompting investigations into possible exploitation.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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