Mantashe: Illegal Miners Must Face the Consequences of Their Choices
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has made it clear that he does not sympathise with illegal miners who become trapped underground, stating that individuals who willingly take such risks must accept the consequences of their actions.
Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament’s police and mineral resources committees on Tuesday during a briefing on Operation Vala Umgodi, Mantashe dismissed claims that government refused to assist zama zamas trapped in the Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein, North West.
He also refuted allegations that 98 lives were lost due to government delays, calling the reports misleading.
He emphasised that the state had already initiated rescue plans before any legal action was taken and insisted that the operation was not prompted by a court order obtained by non-governmental organisations.
“If you take a risk voluntarily, and you enter a dangerous place voluntarily, consequences thereof cannot be the responsibility of somebody else, it’s your own responsibility, you took that risk voluntarily and you entered that place voluntarily.”
The minister expressed satisfaction with the progress made under Operation Vala Umgodi, which targets illegal mining and associated criminal networks, saying it is starting to yield visible results.
Mantashe also clarified that the mine in question was not abandoned and that its owners had been located in China. He noted, however, that there was no concrete evidence linking mining companies to the hiring of illegal miners to exploit smaller mineral deposits.
“I’m not a sympathiser of illegal miners, I must declare that,” he stated firmly.
He confirmed that the cost of the R3.5 million rescue operation would be recovered from the mine owners.