South African police on Monday disclosed that 14 individuals were arrested after emerging from an illegal gold mine, where it is believed that hundreds more are still hiding.
Authorities have maintained a presence outside the abandoned mine in Stilfontein, located approximately 150 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, for several weeks.
They have been intermittently blocking locals from delivering food and water to the miners in an effort to force them to come out.
The operation has sparked outrage, with concerns raised that the miners, known as “zama zamas”, which means “those who try” in Zulu, could be suffering from starvation or even death underground.
In a statement, police confirmed: “A total of 14 illegal miners resurfaced last night — proving that they are not trapped — they just refuse to resurface.” The statement continued, “Others ran back into the shaft as soon as they noticed the police presence.”
All those arrested were identified as Mozambican nationals.
Thousands of illegal miners, many from neighboring countries, work in South Africa’s mineral-rich mines under harsh conditions.
One miner, who emerged from the mine shaft on November 17, shared that he had spent two months underground.
Some officials have expressed that the illegal miners should receive no assistance, including Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the minister of the presidency, who stated, “We’re going to smoke them out.”
The exact number of miners still underground at Stilfontein remains unclear.
An initial report from a community member suggested that 4,000 miners were inside, but police later revised the estimate to a few hundred.
President Cyril Ramaphosa defended the actions of the police, stating that blocking supplies was necessary to pressure the miners to emerge.
“So far, more than 1,000 miners have surfaced and been arrested,” he said, referring to the Stilfontein site as “a crime scene.”
He added, “Those in good health are detained and will be processed according to the law. Those who require medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard.”
