Over the weekend, food and water reached the illegal miners who are underground in Stilfontein in South Africa. According to Johannes Qankase, who is involved in the miners’ situation, 600 packets of porridge and 600 liters of water have been lowered into the mine with ropes.
– The people who came out of the mine were very weak and dehydrated. They must get water, food and medicine, he told AFP.
The delivery came after a court on Saturday ruled that police must lift their blockade. For several weeks now, the police have been trying to force the miners up by cutting off access to supplies.
Not the first time – there are 6,000 abandoned mines
There is, according to researchers monitoring the South African mining industryaround 6000 abandoned mines in the country, and many of them are not closed legally. At a certain depth, extraction becomes so costly that the companies leave the mines, but there are deposits of gold, for example, left. Therefore, there is also an industry for illegal mining.
– Zama zamas, as the illegal miners are called, is not a new phenomenon. And it is not the first time that the South African government, and the police, have tried to deal with the problem, says SVT’s Africa correspondent Johan Ripås.
But the previous efforts have not received the same media attention.
– The South African authorities had probably not expected to receive so much criticism. Illegal mining is unpopular in South Africa, it is associated with criminal networks and is seen as dangerous to the environment, says Johan Ripås.
At the same time, there is empathy with the illegal workers.
– Unemployment in South Africa and neighboring countries is grotesque. There is an understanding that people do everything for money and livelihood, says Johan Ripås.
What does the situation look like down in the mines? SVT’s Africa correspondent tells the story in the video.