The Pretoria High Court has dismissed the bid brought by the Society for the Protection of Our Constitution seeking emergency humanitarian relief for illegal miners who are said to be refusing to resurface from the disused Stilfontein mine in North West.

NO VIOLATION OF RIGHTS

The application sought amongst others to compel various government departments including SAPS to provide all necessary emergency disaster relief to illegal miners underground by providing food, water, medical aid, blankets and any such medical relief necessary. The application also compelled government departments including SAPS to extract the alleged trapped miners from underground. SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said SAPS has always and still maintains that it has never violated any Constitutional right to life and dignity. "SAPS has never blocked any shaft nor blocked any illegal miner from exiting through any disused mine shaft, as is evident with the 1239 illegal miners that have resurfaced in the past few weeks. SAPS remains adamant that there is no illegal miner that is trapped underground and that they simply refuse to resurface because they are avoiding arrest. This is evident with the 14 illegal miners who resurfaced last night at shaft 10 which is linked to shaft 11," said Mathe.

POLICE ALLOWED AID TO MINERS 

Mathe said in the past two weeks, police allowed for limited food supply and water to be taken down to the illegal miners. "Instant porridge, mageu and water were taken down the shaft. Medical emergency personnel have also always been on standby to treat all those who resurface. SAPS is mandated according to Section 205 of the constitution to prevent, combat as well as maintain law and order and it is against this objective that the SAPS' role and objective for Operation Vala Mgodi is to prevent, combat, and stop illicit mining activities that are taking place in the Stilfontein area," she said