CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s president is dealing with calls to order an inquiry right into a police operation that was meant to fight unlawful mining however ended up leaving 87 miners to die underground as authorities tried to drive them to give up throughout a monthslong standoff.
The tragedy on the deserted gold mine close to the city of Stilfontein started to unfold in August, when police cut off food supplies for a period of time to the miners working illegally within the mine’s tunnels.
The tactic was apparently meant to drive them out however as an alternative brought on dozens to die of hunger or dehydration, in response to teams representing the miners.
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A court docket ordered a rescue operation that was launched on Monday and greater than 240 survivors were hauled out this week in small teams in a steel cage, a few of them badly emaciated after greater than 5 months beneath the floor. All of the survivors have been arrested, police stated.
Here is how the occasions unfolded:
Operation ‘Shut the Gap’
South African authorities have for years struggled to cease teams of miners from going into a few of the gold-rich nation’s 6,000 deserted or closed mines to seek for leftover deposits. In keeping with officers, South Africa misplaced greater than $3 billion in gold to the illicit commerce final yr.
Police forces launched an operation — dubbed “Shut the Gap” — in late 2023 to clamp down on unlawful mining by surrounding a number of mines and chopping off provides that have been being despatched down by different members of the teams on the floor, so the miners would come out on their very own and be arrested.
The Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, the scene of the catastrophe, grew to become a police goal in August nevertheless it was solely in November that the miners’ state of affairs drew the eye of rights teams. Activists warned that lots of of miners have been trapped as much as 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) underground and desperately wanted meals, water and different provides.
A Cupboard minister laughed when she was requested if the authorities would ship provides.
“We’re not sending assist to criminals,” Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stated, including that “criminals are to not be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted.”
Hunger as a weapon
Commerce unions and rights teams say authorities used hunger as a weapon at Buffelsfontein. A bunch representing the miners stated that not solely did police lower off meals for a time, they and the mine homeowners additionally dismantled a rope and pulley system that was used to get into the mine and ship down provides.
Police have denied any duty for the deaths and insisted the miners weren’t trapped however have been in a position to escape by means of a number of shafts within the mine.
Greater than 1,500 did, police stated, however others stayed put out of concern they might be arrested.
However rights teams say lots of of miners have been trapped contained in the mine too distant from the shafts they may depart by means of or too weak to make the harmful climb out.
Activists are saying authorities are additionally guilty for the lengthy delay in launching a rescue operation, which solely began on Monday after a court docket ordered the federal government to rescue the miners.
Who’re the miners?
The miners, referred to as “zama zamas” — “hustlers” or “chancers” within the Zulu language — are often armed and a part of prison syndicates, the federal government says.
They’re usually undocumented international nationals and authorities stated that the overwhelming majority who got here out of the Buffelsfontein mine have been from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, and have been in South Africa illegally.
Police stated they seized gold, explosives, firearms and greater than $2 million in money from the miners and have defended their hard-line method.
Appeals for the president to order an inquiry
South Africa’s second greatest political get together, which is a part of a authorities coalition, has referred to as on President Cyril Ramaphosa to order an inquiry into what occurred on the Buffelsfontein mine.
The investigation also needs to decide whether or not police “are ready to make use of vengeance and punishment as acceptable methods of preventing unlawful mining,” the Democratic Alliance get together stated.
Others have questioned if the terribly harsh motion by authorities was as a result of a lot of the miners at Buffelsfontein weren’t South Africans, however undocumented migrants.
Ramaphosa has not commented on the catastrophe.
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AP Africa information: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
