ORKNEY, South Africa
Police in South Africa have forced 540 illegal miners out of an abandoned mine shaft and arrested them.
Earlier this week, security
forces blocked deliveries of food and water to the miners in a bid to push them
out of the mine.
The miners experienced
“starvation and dehydration” and were forced to resurface, police say.
Individuals have been emerging
from the mine, located in the northern town of Orkney, since Saturday, though
hundreds are believed to remain in the shaft.
On Sunday the national police
boss encouraged security forces on the ground “not to back down” and to “ensure
the rule of law is restored”, a statement from the force says.
The statement says that
earlier this week, security forces “blocked communities in and around these
abandoned mining shifts in Orkney from delivering food parcels, water and
necessities to these illegal miners”.
The police reported on
Saturday that 225 miners had resurfaced, but “hundreds if not a thousand” were
thought to still be underground.
In an update on Sunday, the
national force said an additional 340 had emerged from the mine and placed
under arrest.
Thousands of illegal miners,
known as “zama zamas” (“those who try their luck” in Zulu), operate in the
mineral-rich country.
National Police Commissioner
Lt Gen Shadrack Sibiya said that since December 2023, more than 13,690 suspects
have been arrested across seven provinces.
“We have seized R5 million
($283,000; $220,000) in cash and uncut diamonds worth R32 million ($1.8m;
£1.4m),” he said.
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