Seventeen illegal miners have resurfaced from various shafts in Stilfontein on Thursday as authorities intensified efforts to shut down underground mining networks.
Three miners emerged from Shaft 10 at the old Buffelsfontein gold mine in the North West on Thursday afternoon, while the other 14 appeared earlier at Harmony Gold’s Margaret Shaft.
Although Harmony Gold does not own the mine where hundreds of zama zamas operate, the illegal miners travel kilometres underground from abandoned shafts to use the company’s shafts as exit points.
Provincial police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed that both groups had been arrested.
“The 14 illegal miners who resurfaced at Margaret Shaft, are foreign nationals from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique,” Mokgwabone said.
“They are still being processed and our operation continues.”
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