• Police bring to surface decomposing body of illegal miner pulled from well in Stilfontein
• Around 4,000 illegal miners (zama zamas) are trapped underground in a non-operational mine in the North West
• More than 1,000 zama zamas have come to the surface in recent weeks and have begun appearing in court.
• National spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed to Briefly News that police were investigating an investigation

STILFONTEIN — Police found the decomposing body of a illegal miner at Stilfontein gold mine in Klerksdorp, North-West.

This happens while 4,000 zama zamas are trapped underground, without food and water, amid a crackdown by law enforcement to combat this illicit activity.

Decomposed body of illegal miner found

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the body was found in a sealed mine shaft on Wednesday, November 14, 2024.

Three illegal miners surfaced alive the same day, while police opened an investigation into the only death confirmed so far.

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“We are investigating the circumstances of his death,” Mathe said. In brief News.

More than 1,000 have surfaced between October 18 and November 5 and began to appear in court as authorities process those who have entered South Africa illegally.

In brief News said charges against 55 suspects were withdrawn at the Mogwase Magistrate’s Court on November 6.

North West police spokesperson General Sabata Mokgwabone said In brief News immigration officials detained them pending a deportation order.

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, at a press briefing in Cape Town on November 13, said that government would not help the “criminals”.

Instead, she said they would be arrested as soon as they surfaced and prosecuted as a joint illegal mining task force including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) has intensified Operation Vala Umgodi in the Bojanala Platinum District. .

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Mathe, stressing that personnel safety was a major concern, added that law enforcement had no intention of entering the shaft to rescue the illegal miners, who were heavily armed and would have prevented others from resurface.

Meanwhile, an investigation is underway to determine who is recruiting illegal miners at the Stilfontein mine.

Free State Police hit Zama Zamas hard

In related news, In brief News noted that efforts to rid the Free State of the zama zamas yielded some results as Operation Vala Umgodi entered another phase.

The integrated multidisciplinary strategy has identified hotspots of illicit crime across the country. South Africa to resolve the challenge facing the country’s mining industry initiated by organized groups.

Source: In Brief News