By A South African court ordered police Saturday to lift their blockade of a disused gold mine where hundreds of illegal miners have been trapped underground for a month, marking a significant shift in a standoff that has sparked humanitarian concerns.
The Pretoria court ruled that “no person or institution whether government or private” may block access to the Stilfontein mine, located 90 miles southwest of Johannesburg, where miners have refused to surface fearing arrest and, for some, deportation. The order comes after reports emerged of desperate miners resorting to eating vinegar and toothpaste to survive.
While police welcomed the ruling, they emphasized it wouldn’t prevent arrests of miners who emerge. “Those that are in good health will be processed and detained. Those that require further medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard,” the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.
The crisis has highlighted South Africa’s growing illegal mining problem, which costs the government hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The country holds nearly 30% of the world’s gold deposits and 88% of global platinum reserves, according to official estimates, but mine closures and layoffs have fueled a burgeoning black market.
Attorney Yasmin Omar, who helped secure the court order, told state broadcaster SABC the temporary ruling would “allow us to get emergency relief to the people who need it.” A full hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
The humanitarian situation underground has grown dire, with volunteers who entered the mine reporting they retrieved a body Thursday. More than 1,000 miners have already emerged and been arrested, including individuals from Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, according to police.
The South African Human Rights Commission launched an investigation Friday into the police blockade, citing concerns about potential violations of the miners’ right to life. The commission’s intervention came after Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s controversial statement that authorities would “smoke them out.”
The crisis reflects broader challenges in South Africa’s mining sector, where rising costs and electricity disruptions have made most gold mines unprofitable, according to the Minerals Council of South Africa. This has led to a surge in illegal mining, with some individuals spending months underground in dangerous conditions.
A small economy has evolved around these operations, with vendors supplying food and cigarettes to miners. However, authorities are determined to end the practice, citing concerns about armed gangs recruiting illegal miners for criminal activities.
The SAPS has intensified nationwide operations against illegal mining, recently reporting that 565 people emerged from a mine in Orkney near Johannesburg. The current court order, while addressing immediate humanitarian concerns, underscores the complex balance between law enforcement and human rights in addressing South Africa’s informal mining crisis.
As of Saturday afternoon, three additional miners had surfaced from the Stilfontein mine, facing immediate medical assessment and potential arrest, highlighting the ongoing tension between humanitarian relief and law enforcement objectives.
