Kingpins who commissioned mining op must be held accountable for Stilfontein crisis - police

JOHANNESBURG - Some of the kingpins behind an elaborate illicit mining network in Stilfontein were among those arrested this week during a special government-led operation to shut down the underground operation at the Bufflesfontein gold mine.

It’s understood that some of the kingpins may have also been among the dead bodies recovered from shaft 11.

At the beginning of the week, the third and final phase of a mission to clamp down on illegal mining kicked off, with experts sending a cage to force zama zamas out.

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Over the past three days, more than 240 people resurfaced while close to 80 dead bodies were recovered at the disused shaft.

While the ringleaders stationed underground are in police custody, national police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, said there were other big fish on their radar.

"We are looking for the kingpins that are on the surface but we have intel that some were underground with them. Those are the ones that were torturing them, abusing them and keeping food away from the illegal miners."

Mathe said the kingpins who commissioned the operation must be held accountable for the crisis in Stilfontein.

"We don’t think the blame rests on government. The blame should be on the kingpins who recruited the illegals to come and work here. They should be charged with the murders of these illegal miners."