Law enforcement officials have arrested six illegal miners who surfaced from an abandoned Stilfontein shaft, on Friday.
Stilfontein mine updates on Friday, 29 November 2024
After an eventful Thursday, North West police made a further breakthrough in coordinated efforts to extract a large cohort of illegal miners staging a standoff beneath the Earth’s surface.
From what we understand, at least six men were captured as they emerged from one of the abandoned shafts, taking the total of illegal miners arrested in the past 24 hours to 26.
The suspects were being processed when this article was published.
It’s believed authorities will ascertain their citizenship status before moving the group to a Krugersdorp police station, where they will be kept until their first court appearance on Monday, 2 December 2024.
SAPS’s multidisciplinary team that’s been camped at the site since late October 2024 is expected to remain in place, in case more illegal miners surface from underground.
According to several suspects that emerged this week, some of whom are teenagers, the situation underground is untenable and a large portion of the group they left behind is under the control of heavily armed zama zamas.
As the situation continues to develop in Stilfontein, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is expected to lead a press briefing at the Ngwenya Hotel on the progress made thus far in efforts to extract the illegal miners.
Elsewhere, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has launched a probe into a fiery encounter between Nelspruit SAPS patrol officers and alleged illegal miners.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, a patrol team surveying a mine shaft in Sabie was ambushed by a group of armed men.
“The report indicates that the miners fired shots at the Police from different directions, resulting in the injury of a Police Warrant Officer from K9 Unit who was shot in the leg,” Mdhluli revealed.
The officers responded in earnest and neutralised three suspects.
Canvassing the area after the shooting, police recovered two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition.
- “From what has been collected at the crime scene, one can clearly see that we are dealing with a serious situation whereby alleged illegal miners mean business are heavily armed. It is crucial that our members remain watchful at all times,” Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi reflected.
The injured officer was rushed to hospital and he is expected to make a full recovery.
