Illegal miners holed up in abandoned South African mine refuse to surrender to police

By Murat Ozgur Guvendik

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AA) - Hundreds of illegal miners holed up in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa without food and water are resisting police orders to come to the surface.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said Thursday that while 1,173 miners in the town of Stilfontein in North West Province have surrendered, hundreds more remain underground, refusing to emerge despite authorities cutting off supplies.

Efforts to persuade the miners continue, though Mathe noted that the mine is hazardous and no officials will enter it.

"We cannot support crime by providing food and essentials to an active crime scene," she said, emphasizing the need to stop aiding the illegal activities.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stressed that no aid would be given, adding that security forces will smoke out illegal miners to force them to come out and they will be apprehended.

Illegal mining operations conducted by illegal miners, known locally as "zama zamas," are common in South Africa’s abandoned gold and diamond mines and frequently linked to criminal activity.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas