Cape Town activists picket in solidarity with Stilfontein illegal miners
The mine made headlines after illegal mining activity was reported there. Moreover, the bodies of 78 illegal miners were brought to the surface last month.
About 40 people staged a Stilfontein solidarity picket outside Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday, 2 February 2025. Picture: Cailynn Pretorius/ EWN
CAPE TOWN - A group of activists have highlighted the rights of miners.
About 40 people staged a Stilfontein solidarity picket outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday.
The mine made headlines after illegal mining activity was reported there. Moreover, the bodies of 78 illegal miners were brought to the surface last month.
One of the protesters explained how some of these miners ended up there.
"So a lot of people are brought to the mines, through human trafficking, a lot of people are indigent, don't have other opportunities and so their situation and their context forces them to make these decisions because there are no alternatives for them.”
She added because it's a crime to enter the mines, miners end up being stuck underground for months on end.
"And at some point, despite what the police have said in their statement, there have been multiple accounts of people in the community and volunteers who showed up after the fact saying that at some point, police were trying to intervene with community members providing food and water to the people underground.”