Stilfontein Mine Rescue: Police and Community Clash Over Risks

Police said they will not be held responsible for any deaths or injuries resulting from community efforts to rescue illegal miners trapped in an abandoned mine in Stilfontein, North West.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told the Mail & Guardian that law enforcement would not risk the lives of police officers and soldiers by sending them underground to carry out rescues.

“Firstly, there are hazardous gases that are flowing there. There is a high risk of loss of life, and according to our intelligence, these illegal miners may be heavily armed,” said Mathe.

Community members who have volunteered to assist the miners have been required to sign indemnity forms, absolving the government of any liability in the event of injury or death, Mathe added. “We have been getting calls from the community saying they want to fetch their loved ones, so we are dealing with a complex situation. We are making them sign indemnity forms.

“We have consulted the owners of the mine and the department of mineral resources and energy who have confirmed that it is not safe to go down there,” she explained. “We have taken them through the dangers and consequences of going down there and, despite that, they demand that they would want to go and rescue their loved ones.

It is a last resort. It is not safe and we have reiterated this to these community members but they have signed and, based on that, we have allowed them. If there’s any risk, injury and death, the government will not take responsibility because we have taken them through the dangers, consequences and so on.”

Mathe also highlighted the criminal activities associated with illegal mining, referencing the 2022 West Rand incident where eight women were gang-raped, allegedly by illegal miners. “We have got a job to do as the SAPS and we are not backing down. What is happening down there is illegal and we are simply enforcing the law. We are not going to celebrate crime. We are not going to allow crime to thrive under our watch. We are doing what we are supposed to do and that is to prevent and combat criminality,” she stated.

Mathe’s remarks align with those of Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who recently declared that the government would not attempt to rescue those trapped in the mine but would instead “smoke them out.” Ntshavheni commented, “We didn’t send them there and they didn’t go down there for the benefit … of the republic. So, we can’t help them. Those who want to help them, must go and take the food down there. They will come out; we will arrest them.”

According to the operation’s overall commander, Kaizer Modiba, police had cut off the supply of food and water for two days. When Mail & Guardian visited the site, residents were seen assisting trapped individuals, with at least 200 people, including men, women, and children, waiting for updates on their loved ones. Community rescuers were using a 1,600-meter-long rope, hoping to pull up anyone able to grab hold of it. During the visit, a decomposed body was retrieved using the rope.

A community member who went underground revealed that thousands remain trapped, many of whom are too weak, hungry, and disoriented to find their way out. “The place is stinking, people have died there.

The people are not refusing to come out — there’s no food and water there and they do not have the strength to come out,” he said, adding that they requested torches or batteries for light. He also accused authorities of worsening the situation by refusing to provide food. “If we decide, as the community, that we will stop rescuing them, they will not want to do it. They will just watch these people die underground, meaning they are condoning these people being killed.”

Another resident, Thato, questioned the police’s approach. He suggested that the same indemnity principle be applied to miners risking their lives for gold. “Why is it that they don’t allow us to take the risk every day so we can mine in peace without any interference from the government? We want the government to give us a permit to allow us to go in at our own risk,” Thato said.

Mathe dismissed claims that the miners were trapped, stating they were refusing to come out. “If they were trapped, it would mean they were conducting legal operations. They are refusing to resurface,” she said, emphasizing that the government had taken all reasonable steps to facilitate a safe return for those underground.

The police are also investigating allegations that some illegal miners are being forced to remain underground through intimidation. “We do hear that there are others who want to resurface but are being stopped from resurfacing because of intimidation,” Mathe confirmed.