Civil society bands together to challenge govt's handling of Stilfontein mine

JOHANNESBURG - Civil society has banded together in a bid to hold the government accountable for a possible violation of human rights, as hundreds of illegal miners remain underground at an abandoned mine in Stilfontein.

The group includes human rights organisations and labour unions who have raised concerns about a possible violation of human rights. 

Operation Vala Umgodi, which is meant to deal with the crisis of illegal mining in parts of the country, garnered mixed reactions after law enforcement cut off the supply of food and water to the zama zamas refusing to resurface. 

On Wednesday, a meeting was held by various organisations under what has now been labelled as the Stilfontein Solidarity Committee. 

This includes the Lawyers for Human Rights, union federation South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) and its affiliate, General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA), Equal Education and the National Association of Artisanal Miners.

READ: Activists taking govt to court over Operation Vala Umgodi

The coalition is worried about what they believe is a humanitarian crisis in Stilfontein. 

During the meeting, several proposals were put on the table to hold the government accountable. 

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They're mulling taking the legal route by becoming friends of the court in the ongoing litigation by the Society for the Protection of our Constitution, a case set to return to the Pretoria High Court on Thursday.

Last week, the organisation filed an urgent application calling for the courts to intervene. 

Meanwhile, the operation to retrieve miners back to the surface continues.