'I am hoping God kills all of them': Kenny Kunene sparks outrage as he says illegal miners must die underground 'like rats'

Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene has drawn widespread criticism for his remarks about undocumented foreign nationals who died while engaging in illegal mining in Stilfontein, North West. Kunene stated his party has no sympathy for those involved, describing their actions as a theft of South Africa’s mineral wealth.

“I have no sympathy for those who have died stealing the wealth of our country. They have committed a crime by entering this country illegally,” Kunene said during a panel discussion on Newzroom Afrika on Thursday night.

Kunene linked illegal mining to broader criminal behaviour, including incidents of gender-based violence. “You saw in the West Rand, Gauteng, where they raped young women who were trying to make money with what God has given them as talent. They are raping in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, and the Free State. These are criminals,” he said.

He added: “I have absolutely no sympathy. They must die like rats underground there, all of them. They must burn in hell.”

Kunene, who also serves as the City of Johannesburg’s member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for transport, argued that both illegal miners and those purchasing illicitly mined gold are committing treason, endangering South Africa’s economy.

“A sober country, with a sober leadership, would treat this matter as treason. Yet here, we are being told to sympathise with criminals collapsing our economy. As the Patriotic Alliance, our stance is clear: these illegal foreigners must be deported. But those arrested at Stilfontein must be charged with treason for stealing our country’s wealth.

“After serving 40 or 50 years in prison, they must then be deported. Serious countries do not treat this matter as lightly as our government. These are serious criminals. I will not sympathise with them. In fact, I am hoping God kills all of them; they must burn underground and in hell.”

Kunene claimed the stolen resources could have been used to fund social services, including free education.

“Our pensioners are being paid peanuts, yet criminals are stealing the wealth of our country that could finance living pensions. I am not going to sympathise with these people.”

However, his remarks sparked backlash during the panel discussion. Fanon Moema, spokesperson for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in North West, condemned Kunene’s comments as “irresponsible and careless.”

Criminal activities are criminal activities irrespective of who is committing those criminal activities. Even if it is established that over 90 percent of foreign nationals who are involved  in this illicit mining, you do have South Africans who are involved in illicit mining, both underground and on the surface. Let me tell you how, through a programme of search and seizure by South African Police Service, they discovered that there are goods that are being provided to those illicit miners underground by South African citizens," said Moema.

“Crime has no nationality, crime is crime. Those who are involved in these criminal activities must not enjoy any immunity. They must face prosecution. To limit that and say they are foreign nationals found there and so forth is quite careless. You do have our people from South Africa who are involved in illicit economy, selling goods that those who are doing business buy the stock and go underground. Once the stock is depleted, they go out and get more stock."

He said the illicit mining is the work of organised syndicates involving people of different nationalities. 

“You cannot just limit this to nationality or citizenship. We must deal with this matter as an issue of syndicates,” said Moema. 

He said some of the people involved in the illegal mining as young children in their teenage years. The miners, according to Moema, were trafficked into South Africa.

Earlier on Thursday, IOL reported that the Stilfontein Crisis Committee says even though all surviving illegal miners have been rescued from the disused mine shaft, and bodies of 78 deceased miners were brought to the surface during the State-sponsored rescue mission, there are many dismembered body parts still in the deep mine shaft.

On Wednesday night, a total of 246 illegal miners had been retrieved and arrested since the State-sponsored rescue mission started on Monday at shaft 11 in Stilfontein, North West.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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