Court dismisses relief bid for Stilfontein miners
The High Court in Pretoria has dismissed a bid for emergency relief for suspected illegal miners who are underground at a disused shaft in Stilfontein in the North West province.
The application was brought by the Society for the Protection of our Constitution.
It sought for police and other departments to provide emergency aid as well as food and water to those underground.
While some reports indicate the miners are trapped underground, it's understood that some are allegedly refusing to resurface out of fear of being arrested.
Earlier this month, the court granted an interim order for police not to block access to food and water for the miners.
On Sunday evening, 14 illegal miners, including a teenager, were arrested after resurfacing from the abandoned mine.
"The SAPS has never blocked any shaft nor blocked any illegal miner from exiting through any disused mine shaft, as is evident with the 1,239 illegal miners that have resurfaced in the past few weeks," said national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.
"The SAPS remains adamant that there is no illegal miner that is trapped underground and that they simply refuse to resurface because they are avoiding arrest. This is evident with the 14 illegal miners who resurfaced last night at shaft 10, which is linked to shaft 11."
"The SAPS, as a caring government department, has also, in the past two weeks, allowed for limited food supply and water to be taken down to the illegal miners. Instant porridge, mageu and water were indeed taken down. Medical emergency personnel have also always been on standby to treat all those who resurface."
