Safety checks still holding back multi-million rand operation to extract illegal miners

John Perlman gets an update from Eyewitness News reporter Nokukhanya Mntambo.

While there's a movement of members of the 'rescue', police and army personnel on the Stilfontein site where hundreds, or many more illegal miners are underground, the operation to bring them to the surface is still pending.

RELATED: Stilfontein waiting game: Team sent to extract illegal miners playing cards close to their chest - onsite reporter

EWN's Nokukhanya Mntambo reports that the army has now set up a tent close to the disused mine shaft where the zama zamas are.

She says there still seems to be an emphasis on safety checks, with members of the task team making a number of brief visits to the site on Thursday.

"From the distance we are from the cordoned-off area, we understand from police who are of course on site with the rescue team, that they were here to do more assessments."

"There are some concerns when it comes to safety, especially because of the infrastructure of the shaft and how old it is, so they're taking extra precautions when it comes to making sure that the safety assessments are done thoroughly."

Nokukhanya Mntambo, Business Reporter - Eyewitness News

The next steps, in terms of the three-part plan announced by local government,  include sending a camera into the shaft to enable inspection of the area where machinery will be deployed for the eventual extraction, Mntambo's reported.

A community leader told her he doesn’t believe the men below know about the plan to lower down a camera.

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