Blitz Bureau
DURBAN: Police in South Africa have forced 540 illegal miners out of an abandoned mine shaft and arrested them on November 3.
Security forces blocked deliveries of food and water to the miners in a bid to push them out of the mine, according to published reports. 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, though hundreds are believed to remain in the shaft.
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 said. It further said that earlier, security forces “blocked communities in and around these abandoned mining shifts in Orkney from delivering food parcels, water and necessities to these illegal miners”.
In an update, 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 mineralrich country.
National Police Commissioner LtGen Shadrack Sibiya said 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.
