Humanitarian crisis looms as SAPS blocks bid to illegal miners in Orkney

At least 225 illegal miners resurfaced from an old mining shaft in Orkney, North West, due to starvation and dehydration, say police.

The Acting National Commissioner of the SAPS, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, commended the Vala Umgodi task teams in the North West for asserting the authority of the state.

Sibiya stated that these 225 miners, along with an additional 340, are part of a larger group believed to be hundreds, if not a thousand, who are trapped underground without food, water, or necessities because the Vala Umgodi teams, led by SAPS and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), are blocking routes used to deliver supplies.

Last week, SAPS and SANDF members prevented communities around the abandoned mining shafts in Orkney from delivering food parcels and water to these illegal miners. This enforcement action ultimately forced the miners to resurface.

The operation is ongoing, with SAPS and SANDF continuing to monitor the old mine shafts as more illegal miners emerge.

Sibiya noted that Operation Vala Umgodi is yielding positive results nationwide.

“We are closely monitoring the situation in the North West province; we will not back down until all those illegal miners resurface and are arrested. Since its inception in December 2023, over 13 691 suspects have been arrested in the seven provinces that are hotspots for illegal mining.

We have seized R5 million in cash and uncut diamonds worth R32 million through Operation Vala Umgodi,” Sibiya stated.

The majority of those arrested include South Africans, Mozambicans, and Lesotho nationals.

However, concerned community members in Matlosana and other mining areas have expressed worries about a potential humanitarian crisis stemming from the operation. Many miners, fearing imprisonment, have remained trapped underground for extended periods, sometimes going days without food or water.

“In our area of Matlosana, as well as other affected regions, we face a life-threatening crisis that demands immediate intervention. The government’s current approach to illegal mining is not only about enforcing laws but is tragically endangering human lives.

“Recent actions – where military and police have blocked entry and exit points to disused mines – have left illegal miners trapped underground for weeks, without access to food, water, or medical care. This blockade of essential supplies amounts to collective punishment of these individuals,” a prominent community leader told Independent Media on Sunday.

This community member indicated that without guarantees for their freedom, these miners would prefer to die underground.

Officers attached to Operation Vala Umgodi made another breakthrough, arresting five suspects at Kopanang Mine in the Free State. The suspects aged between 24 and 33 were arrested for illegal mining.

A case docket of trespassing on mine area, attempted theft of State minerals and precious metals and Contravention of Immigration Act was opened at Vierfontein police station, said police spokesperson Thabo Covane.

“The Combat and Proactive teams together with Private Security Companies once again intercepted foodstuffs intended for underground illegal underground miners at Beatrix Mine Shaft 4.

“The members braved the heat and threats in the ventilation shaft and lifted the packaged foodstuffs to the surface.

“Instant porridge, peanuts and salt were confiscated. The goods were then booked in the Evidence Management System at Theunissen police station,” said Covane.

Acting on information received from intelligence about a farm in the Ficksburg area, officers attached to the same operation conducted a at Rensberghoek Farm homestead where they discovered a Black 9mm Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre pistol with a filed off serial number and four rounds of ammunition.

“Maloti notes cash (Lesotho currency) was also found on the premises. The members then arrested a 44-year-old female for possession of an illegal firearm. A case of possession of unlicensed firearms was opened at Ficksburg police station.”

Cape Times