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11 hours ago
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- Police have arrested suspected illegal mining ringleaders in Stilfontein in the North West.
- It is alleged that they tortured, assaulted, starved and killed zama zamas underground.
- Zama zamas identified them after resurfacing from a shaft at the abandoned mine.
Police have arrested suspected illegal mining kingpins who allegedly tortured, assaulted, starved and killed zama zamas at Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein.
The number of people arrested is unclear.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, they were arrested from Monday to Wednesday.
"Various allegations ... were [made] by some illegal miners who resurfaced," Mathe said.
"[The kingpins] were caught after resurfacing at Shaft 11 through a cage sourced from the Mine Rescue Services (MRS) team. The kingpins are allegedly responsible for killing some illegal miners. They also deliberately kept away food from the illegal miners," she added.
READ | Operations to continue at Stilfontein mine, despite reports no zama zamas are left underground
"Secondly, they are being investigated for allegedly assaulting and torturing illegal miners underground."
She added that police had taken statements from some illegal miners.
"Those statements will be analysed, and that information will be brought before the court. Hopefully, we will be able to identify the real ringleaders. We are also following positive information against the underground kingpins. Our teams are busy with questioning those kingpins," Mathe said.
On Tuesday evening, community volunteers Mandla Charles and Mzwandile Mkwayi reported to the police that nobody was left in the shaft.
Rescue operation underway at the abandoned Buffelsfontein Gold mine in Stilfontein. (Rosetta Msimango/News24)
Charles and Mkwayi had gone into the shaft in a cage several times to help load the bodies of zama zamas as well as survivors.
The two men told police what they had witnessed underground.
"The cage has been sent down alone with the camera to ascertain whether everyone that was reported to be underground has been evacuated. Charles and Mkwayi claimed they had inspected the entire Shaft 11. They added they walked up to Shaft 10. They claimed there was no one underground. We have to [confirm] their claims," police said.
WATCH | Stilfontein zama zamas death toll: 78 decomposed bodies retrieved since Monday
Since Monday, MRS has retrieved 246 illegal miners and 78 dead bodies from the shaft. Since Wednesday, seven Zimbabweans have resurfaced at Margaret Shaft.
Mathe said that from the time the operation began on 18 August, about 1 907 illegal miners resurfaced at various shafts in Stilfontein.
Eighty-seven bodies have been retrieved.
