Pretoria High Court grants interim order for humanitarian aid for Stilfontein illegal miners
This follows a protracted operation by police and the army in parts of North West in a bid to clamp down on illegal underground mining networks.
Images from shaft 10 in Stilfontein were the 14 Zama zamas came out of on Sunday night. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/ Eyewitness News.
JOHANNESBURG - The Pretoria High Court has again granted an interim order for humanitarian aid to be sent down to hungry and dehydrated illegal miners at an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein.
This follows a protracted operation by police and the army in parts of North West to clamp down on illegal underground mining networks.
Operation Vala Umgodi was intensified earlier this month with police closing off the movement of food, water and other supplies into disused shafts.
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This is the second court time the government has been hauled to the courts over its handling of the operation.
At the end of last week, community organisation Mining Affected Communities United in Action filed an urgent application asking for the court’s intervention.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) told the court that attempts to send food, water and medical supplies to the illegal miners had drawn a blank - accusing police and some government departments of being complicit in the violation of human rights.
In its 100-page application, the NGO asked for lobby groups to be allowed to provide essentials to the zama zamas and for the boundaries of the restricted areas near the shafts to be reassessed.
The interim court order now allows charity groups and the community to send down amid the ongoing rescue mission.
Phase three of the operation to bring illegal miners up is yet to begin.
Meanwhile, donors have started raising funds for a public campaign for emergency relief for the illegal miners.