Illegal miners who are still refusing to resurface at the old Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein in North West have sent out a note requesting more food. This was revealed by North West Deputy Provincial Commissioner General Patrick Asaneng while giving an update on the scenes at Stilfontein yesterday. Asaneng said they received a note from the illegal miners on Friday that there are approximately 500 illegal miners underground and 300 of them are unwell

SLOW PROGRESS

General Asaneng said yesterday that 34 zama zamas resurfaced since yesterday and that they are all illegal foreigners. Fifteen Lesotho nationals, three are Mozambicans and two are Zimbabweans. Fourteen Mozambicans resurfaced just after midnight on Monday. "This brings the number of the illegal miners who resurfaced in the last 24 hours to 34. So far, fifty-five illegal miners have resurfaced since last Monday. Mining authorities had indicated that Margaret Shaft is flooded. Again, it is worth mentioning that these illegal miners were all wet when they came out, proving that indeed there was a body of water down there," he said. He said the total number of illegal miners who had resurfaced since the 18th of August 2024 is 1 259 and the majority are Mozambicans at 871.

ACTION PLAN

General Asaneng said the plan to resurface illegal miners is divided into three phases. "The first phase, which has been completed, began last Tuesday and was completed on Wednesday. This phase included clearing all the boulders and concrete slabs that had been at the entrance of the shaft. This is important to avoid them falling into the shaft and endangering the illegal miners underneath," he said. He added that the second phase was completed yesterday. "This part brought together machinery and state-of-the-art equipment that included a camera to be lowered to assess the state of the shaft. This assessment is to gather information on the type of methane gases down there and how harmful they are and to confirm the number of illegal miners and their state. Once all this data has been analysed, we will know when and how to begin with the third phase," said the General, adding that the third and final phase will be a delicate process that seeks to ensure that all illegal miners are resurfaced safely and humanely.