Community organisation to file fresh court papers to get aid to illegal Stilfontein miners
The same court dismissed an urgent application lodged by the Society for the Protection of Our Constitution on Monday, where it sought relief for hundreds of illegal miners in the area.
Images from shaft 10 in Stilfontein were the 14 Zama zamas came out of on Sunday night. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/ Eyewitness News.
JOHANNESBURG - Community organisation Mining Affected Communities United in Action plans to file fresh papers at the Pretoria High Court.
That’s in a bid to compel government to allow humanitarian aid for zama zamas at an abandoned mine in Stilfontein.
The same court dismissed an urgent application lodged by NGO the Society for the Protection of Our Constitution on Monday, where it sought relief for hundreds of illegal miners in the area, saying there was no evidence police had acted outside of the law during Operation Vala Umgodi.
National Coordinator of the Mining Affected Communities United in Action, Meshack Mbangula, said more needed to be done to resolve the matter urgently.
"I don’t understand why the court should dismiss their legislation, which is section 27, to say that they cannot get relief when section 27 says they have the right to food and water. They are contradicting themselves."
READ: NW MPLs defend police's handling of matters at Stilfontein
Mbangula said the organisation had no intention of getting in the way of the operation currently underway to bring the miners to the surface and shut down the underground network.
"We just need people to be given the relief of giving them food, and water because we don’t know how long this process is going to take again."