[UPDATE - #Stilfontein] #IllegalMining
On day two of operations, a total of 106 alive illegal miners were retrieved and arrested for illegal mining.
51 were certified dead.
A breakdown of those arrested per nationality is as follows:
Mozambicans: 6
Lesotho nationals: 26
Zimbabweans: 110
South Africans : 2
#breakingnewsOPINION| Yet another tragic loss of human life in the sort of South African story which would make people’s hair stand on end in most other countries. That was #Stilfontein this week.
#TheCitizenNews
Read more here ⬇️
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, the committee's chairperson, Christopher Rutledge, accused government of making comments while the miners were underground, indicating its intention of killing them.
"We are going to consider a number of routes, including charging individuals and the state with murder," he said.
He said the committee will also ask for an inquiry similar to the Life Esidimeni inquiry following the deaths of 141 mentally-challenged patients.provided with information about the miners and the conditions they were in, while underground.
"Government was provided with information that the miners in shaft 11 had no access to exit the mine.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, he said the only other exit was through shaft 10, and this where bodies of dead miners lay.Rutledge explained that the exit through shaft 10 was dangerous as the structure itself was compromised.
"It has rusty, rickety iron poles that people have to climb and if you lose your footing while climbing up almost two kilometres, you will fall down, and it is very unlikely that you will survive and be recovered. That was the one opportunity in our view that was unreasonable to expect people to exit the mine," he said.
