Authorities Rescue More Illegal Miners in South Africa Amid Ongoing Police Operations
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Johannesburg, Dec 6 (NationPress) Officials have confirmed that 16 illegal miners were rescued within the last 24 hours from an abandoned mine shaft in Sabie, a quaint town situated in Mpumalanga Province, eastern South Africa, where they had become trapped during their illegal mining operations.
"The surge in illegal mining activities across seven hotspot provinces, including Mpumalanga where we currently are, and North West Province where we plan to go later today, necessitates an immediate integrated and multidisciplinary strategy to curb these unlawful mining operations," stated South African Police Service (SAPS) National Commissioner Sehlahle Fannie Masemola on Thursday.
The rescue mission in Sabie is distinct from another illegal mining situation in Stilfontein located in North West Province, where more than 1,000 illegal miners have been trapped underground for several weeks, according to a report by Xinhua.
A recent court directive, which ordered the police to supply food and medical assistance to the miners, may extend their situation, as they are not trapped like those in Mpumalanga.
Commissioner Masemola reported that three bodies were recovered in Mpumalanga on Wednesday, while six bodies of illegal miners were found in Stilfontein over the past 24 hours.
Additionally, at least 26 illegal miners emerged from various shafts in the Stilfontein area over the last couple of days. Reports indicate that 1,387 illicit miners have resurfaced there in recent weeks, many of whom claimed they were forced to work underground by armed gangs.
Masemola further noted that from December 2023 to the present, over 427 high-caliber firearms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition have been confiscated from these illegal mining operations. "This clearly indicates that these illicit miners are frequently well-armed and will go to great lengths to sustain their unlawful mining endeavors," he added.
The closure of various gold mines across South Africa has drawn thousands of undocumented migrants from neighboring countries, who have come to reopen abandoned and disused mines.
