By Gift Sebiloane
Stilfontein, North West — Despite previous assurances from authorities that the Stilfontein mining rescue operation was under control, the reality on the ground paints a different picture. “The situation is becoming increasingly dire,” warned community leader, Thabo Mokoena, speaking to journalists at the scene early Friday. “We are receiving desperate pleas for help from those trapped below. They are starving, thirsty, and sick.”
These claims were corroborated by a miner who recently managed to escape the mine. “It’s a living hell down there,” he revealed, speaking on condition of anonymity to a local news outlet, The North West Star. “We are running out of food and water. Many are sick and injured. We are pleading with the authorities to help us.”
The slow pace of the miners’ emergence has also raised concerns that the initial estimates of those trapped underground may have been significantly underestimated. “We now believe that there could be thousands still down there,” stated Dr. Nomvula Dlamini, a researcher with the Bench Marks Foundation, an organisation that monitors mining activities, in an interview with SABC News. “The situation is far more complex than initially thought.”
Adding to the complexity is the growing tension between the police and the community, according to several eyewitnesses, who claim authorities are more concerned with arrests than with saving lives.
Meanwhile, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced plans to begin sealing off the mine shafts in an effort to prevent further illegal mining activity.
However, this decision has been met with criticism from some quarters arguing that the action could potentially trap and endanger those who remain underground.
Adding to their concerns, recent reports indicate that food and water are being deliberately withheld from the trapped miners. This tactic, seemingly aimed at forcing them to surface, has been condemned by human rights organisations as inhumane and potentially life-threatening. “Withholding food and water from the trapped miners is not only cruel but also illegal,” stated Lloyd Kuveya, a spokesperson for Lawyers for Human Rights, in a press statement released Friday. “It is a clear violation of their basic human rights and could have fatal consequences.”
Meanwhile, fears have deepened for those still trapped underground, with reports of dwindling resources and increasing health risks. The saga, which began with dramatic demands for ARVs, sparking a national conversation about illegal mining, has now entered a critical phase, marked by uncertainty and a growing sense of urgency.
As the saga unfolds, the nation watches with bated breath, hoping for a resolution that prioritises human life as death toll rises, this as the ninth dead body was retrieved late Thursday.
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