Parolee Who Helped Rescue Illegal Miners In Stilfontein Faces Action

Helping to retrieve illegal miners from underground may have been a heroic act, but it has landed Mzwandile Mkwayi in hot waters with the Correctional Services Department.

The department says he broke the terms of his parole by conducting media interviews without authorisation.

He and Mandla Charles are the two volunteers who went underground with the cage designed to retrieve illegal miners from underground at Shaft 11 in Stilfontein, North West.

They managed to help retrieve 246 illegal miners who were still alive but also endured the trauma of boarding a cage that carried 78 bodies.

They had volunteered to help the mine rescue team in their operation, as the authorities had indicated that none of the police officers or rescuers would go underground.