Community Members Threaten to Involve SAHRC Over Starving Illegal Miners in Stilfontein
Community volunteers attempting to rescue illegal miners trapped underground at Shaft 11 in Stilfontein, North West, have threatened to escalate the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission SAHRC due to reports of the miners being deprived of food and water. This comes despite a recent court order from the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria that instructed emergency services to provide humanitarian aid to the trapped miners.
Lawyers for Human Rights, representing the mining community, have written to the MEC for Community Safety and the Police, urging that the miners be provided with food, water, and medical care as required by the court order. Thato Gaafane from Lawyers for Human Rights expressed concerns over the way the court order has been interpreted, particularly regarding police actions that have hindered community rescue efforts.
"We know that courts are dispute resolution bodies, and it is not the police's discretion to disregard these orders. Our clients are worried about how the interim order is being implemented," Gaafane stated.
The community's rescue attempts were reportedly halted when police restricted access to certain areas of the mining site. Gaafane clarified that the court order did not prevent non-emergency personnel, such as community volunteers, from continuing their rescue efforts.
The situation has raised alarm among community members and human rights advocates, who are calling for immediate action to ensure the miners' safety and well-being while efforts to retrieve them continue.
