Relative of Stilfontein illegal miner hopeful brother will return home alive
Zinzi Tom last saw her brother, Ayanda last July before he went underground.
Community members and workers hold banners as they gather to protest during the rescue operation to retrieve illegal miners from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. Picture: Christian Velcich/AFP
STILFONTEIN - A relative of one of the illegal miners yet to resurface from an abandoned mine in Stilfontein says she's hopeful he will return home alive.
Zinzi Tom last saw her brother, Ayanda last July before he went underground.
She said the family became worried when he failed to resurface before the end of the year.
Last week, Tom single-handedly took the government to court to compel officials to fast-track a rescue operation to retrieve the zama zamas from underground.
She said they're clinging onto hope after an illegal miner who resurfaced this month told the family he had sighted Ayanda recently.
READ: More than 1,500 illegal miners arrested since Operation Vala Umgodi began
"He last saw him two weeks ago but because he was getting more weaker. He said he would go look for help. We tried to send word today that they should go and look for him so we are hopeful that today he will come out."
While she welcomes the start of phase three to retrieve the illegal miners she said it's taken too long.
"It's long overdue and we can't be happy. It's not a good thing but we are here and we have to save those people," Tom said.