The South African Police Service has confirmed that it is closely working with the Department of Health in North West to ensure that health care is provided to illegal miners who resurfaced from a disused mine in Stilfontein in the past few weeks.

A DAILY THING 

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said their members conduct inspections at police holding cells daily. "Those illegal miners that require medical care are referred and admitted to a local hospital," she said. On Monday, the North West Department of Health spokesperson Tshegofatso Mothibedi confirmed that another zama zama who was rescued from shaft 11 of the Stilfontein disused mine passed away after being admitted at the Tsheping Hospital in Klerksdorp. Mothibedi said the illegal miner identified as Koali Rankomo was admitted after being retrieved underground with other miners during the rescue operation. "The deceased was admitted after being diagnosed with gastroenteritis and dehydration. The deceased was part of a group of 33 illegal miners admitted to the hospital, under police guard, after their arrest last week at the Stilfontein disused mine during the National Rescue Operation," he said.

NUMBERS ESCALATING

Mathe said the number of those admitted to the hospital has since risen from nine on Monday, 13 January, to 32 on Tuesday, 21 January 2025. "All who are hospitalised are currently under police guard. The narrative that illegal miners are not receiving adequate medical care is thus refuted and devoid of truth," she said. After two months of operation, Vala Umgodi, an intense operation aimed at stopping illegal mining that drew much attention in Stilfontein, the police minister said the third and final phase to retrieve thousands of illegal miners was complete. "Those members deployed for Operation Vala Umgodi will continue to be onsite, not only at shaft 11 but also at all the mining areas where illegal mining is taking place." A full report by the technical teams is yet to be given to the police and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, but the operation continues.