NewStats: 3,261,388 , 8,173,872 topics. Date: Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 06:23 AM 286q24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0BWz0swstU?si=zIoroibz3EEi8xb_

The South African government has begun a long-awaited rescue operation at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein amid a flurry of urgent litigation.

On Thursday the Pretoria High Court heard that there were 109 dead bodies in shafts 10 and 11 of the mine.

The operation will cost 12-million rands (1-billion naira) and the bill will be shared between the government and the Minerals Council South Africa.

One corpse was pulled up last Thursday, but another 108 still had to be extracted, said Anna-Marie de Vos SC, counsel for Zinzi Tom, sister to one of the miners underground. “In reality, the mineworkers cannot wait as they are dying by the hour and this is evidenced by the continued retrieval of dead bodies,” said Tom in an affidavit to the court on Friday.

At 4pm on Friday, the court heard that the necessary contracts were ready to be signed for the rescue operation to commence. Yesterday Andries Fourie, the CEO of rescue company Mines Rescue Services (MRS), said in a statement submitted to the Constitutional Court in a separate matter that the paperwork had been signed and the company was “currently in the process to conduct groundwork to enable our mobile rescue winder [a bespoke crane device] to drive on the gravel roads to the number 11 shaft”.

Once this was complete, “we will immediately start with the hoisting”, he said.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), which has been assisting the zama zamas (illegal miners) and the affected community, said it had met MRS representatives and it was hoped groundwork would be complete by today (last week), Sunday, or tomorrow morning at the latest.

In an affidavit to the Pretoria court on Friday Pieter Alberts, chief director of legal services for the department of mineral resources & energy, the Minerals Council (formerly the Chamber of Mines) would contribute to the costs of the rescue — estimated to be about R12m (N1billion). It emerged during the hearing that the cost would be split 50/50 between the Minerals Council and the government.

The rescue winder would work in 10-hour shifts, lifting the miners in small groups, the government’s counsel, Cassie Badenhorst SC, said in court. Once the access road was completed, it would take about 16 days to extract an estimated 550 miners, said Alberts.

Judge Ronel Tolmay said that, in the meantime, “we need to that people’s lives are at stake ... So let’s make sure that they’ve got food, water and medical supplies.”

A desperate handwritten letter from the miners was received on Thursday asking for face masks, because of the smell from the dead bodies, and Jeyes fluid — “to wash away the maggots”, said De Vos.

Badenhorst said police were not impeding efforts by the community to provide food and . Tolmay said if the community or NGOs had any problems in getting food and water to the miners, including over the weekend, she wanted to know “immediately”.

“On my watch, nobody’s going without food,” she said.

LHR had urgently approached the high court on Thursday night on behalf of Tom. The application was heard on Friday morning.

LHR had already urgently approached the Constitutional Court on behalf of community organisation, Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua), with chilling testimony from informal miners that the situation was so desperate that some had resorted to cannibalism. Macua asked for similar orders from the Constitutional Court as from the high court on Friday, but also wanted Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, which holds the mining right over the mine, to be part of the rescue.

“To leave these miners abandoned in darkness is to sentence them to a fate unworthy of any human being. The law, the constitution, and the principles of ubuntu demand more of us,” said Macua to the Constitutional Court. The court had directed answering affidavits to be filed by yesterday.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timeslive.co.za/amp/sunday-times/news/2025-01-12-governments-r12m-stilfontein-rescue-kicks-into-gear/

The earlier the better , but i thought those guys don't want to leave there , demanding food , water and drugs ...
They need to be isolated, placed on medication after the evacuation because of the dead bodies with them in the mine .
After that , prosecution should follow to serve as deterrent for others planning such ..

This SadAfrican government is wicked. Allowed 100plus to die before initiating evacuation. Just imagine the level of wickedness.

MMempire:
This SadAfrican government is wicked. Allowed 100plus to die before initiating evacuation. Just imagine the level of wickedness.

That country is the headquarters of evil. To basically watch these miners die slowly one after the other in the most horrible way possible is the height of it. Instead of using all available methods to rescue these miners, all that the south African government did was to use negative propaganda and barefaced lies to excuse their horrible stance. There was no way those miners would have chosen to die underground than be arrested. That story about the miners choosing to stay underground, was nothing but a tale told by very wicked and conscienceless government to procure enough excuse for this massacre. Evil country, devilish people.

With so much money 💰 in the mining industry I can't figure out why they still have poor worker's safety, poor worker's welfare and very slow rescue approach.
The same in Nigeria.
Go to Nasarawa and Zamfara, their mining worker's, many do not even wear safety boots
They enter the mining site with bathroom slippers and T shirts with short nickers.
I am yet to see any Chinese Mining Company that is in Pension and HMO.
No annual leave, no employment latter.
No pay off.
They sack their staff any how and any time.
They stop them from ing any UNION.

Pls wait, don't tell me this issue is still going on....I mean those guys have not been rescued since late last year

No humanitarians service in SA ?? even if it's Goat that was trapped, rescue team should have been deployed immediately not to talk of humans.

This will definitely have a negative impact on SA.

I fear for this world.

So, those men are still down there in cold, rain and darkness with 100plus dead bodies.

If they tell you 100 dead bodies, it is at least 300.

MadPolitician:

That country is the headquarters of evil. To basically watch these miners die slowly one after the other in the most horrible way possible is the height of it. Instead of using all available methods to rescue these miners, all that the south African government did was to use negative propaganda and barefaced lies to excuse their horrible stance. There was no way those miners would have chosen to die underground than be arrested. That story about the miners choosing to stay underground, was nothing but a tale told by very wicked and conscienceless government to procure enough excuse for this massacre. Evil country, devilish people.

wateva it maybe life first. Even if it is a dog down there, attempts would have been made to get it out.

u bring them out immediately and arrest them.

now it seems like SA have already done their worst, arresting them seems pointless, which other punishment is worst than wat they have been made to go through. Barbaric!

dont try this nonesense in nigeria....

you go die in that hole....
nobody send....

justtoodark:
dont try this nonesense in nigeria....

you go die in that hole....
nobody send....

Say wat u like about the whites, they will make all attempts to save their own.

Get them out and then charge them to court.

Black people are too wicked.


As for Nigeria, if they stay underground more than 1 week, it means we dont have machine to get them out but South Africa had the lift equipment parked waiting for them to die.

kolamilan:
Pls wait, don't tell me this issue is still going on....I mean those guys have not been rescued since late last year

No humanitarians service in SA ?? even if it's Goat that was trapped, rescue team should have been deployed immediately not to talk of humans.

This will definitely have a negative impact on SA.

You can imagine how evil south Africa is. This is the same country dragging Israel everywhere on earth. You will think they are very humane and care. No, it's about their evil.

Those stil alive down there, will die later after the removal.

I cannot call this rescue, it is a removal of bodies and dieing.

Damage to their organs and health may not be something that can be reversed.

Congrats South Africa u killed them all.

Bliss4Lyfe:


Say wat u like about the whites, they will make all attempts to save their own.

Get them out and then charge them to court.

Black people are too wicked.


As for Nigeria, if they stay underground more than 1 week, it means we dont have machine to get them out but South Africa had the lift equipment parked waiting for them to die.

we are not wicked....we just dont like foolishness....

if you land their out of accident then okay....
but intentionaly do foolish things....??

we no send....

OP remove the word rescue and replace with removal.

justtoodark:


we are not wicked....we just dont like foolishness....

'


Nigeria is a country that catch militants and terorist killing our army, rehabilitate them and recruit them into the army and give them amnesty or just free them.

I know my country and where we have our fault.

It is unafrican to leave people in hole for nearly 1 year.


Unafrican!

Bliss4Lyfe:
'


Nigeria is a country that catch militants and terorist killing our army, rehabilitate them and recruit them into the army and give them amnesty or just free them.

I know my country and where we have our fault.

yes....

MMempire:
This SadAfrican government is wicked. Allowed 100plus to die before initiating evacuation. Just imagine the level of wickedness.

Very wicked set of people. If it is Israel defending her territory, you will see them going bonkers.

Bliss4Lyfe:
I fear for this world.

So, those men are still down there in cold, rain and darkness with 100plus dead bodies.

If they tell you 100 dead bodies, it is at least 300.

You can imagine the unbearable stench from the dead bodies overwhelming the mine which obviously do not have proper ventilation, the south African government is wicked.

helinues:


Troll by asking for Development news from South Africa? Are there no development news to post hence sounding like this

Hahaha. Did you miss the part of we have no issue with others progress?

Btw, dont ever in your life call me jobless.. Not you or your family have been the one paying my bills

Even the whole world knows

MadPolitician:

That country is the headquarters of evil. To basically watch these miners die slowly one after the other in the most horrible way possible is the height of it. Instead of using all available methods to rescue these miners, all that the south African government did was to use negative propaganda and barefaced lies to excuse their horrible stance. There was no way those miners would have chosen to die underground than be arrested. That story about the miners choosing to stay underground, was nothing but a tale told by very wicked and conscienceless government to procure enough excuse for this massacre. Evil country, devilish people.

It's terrible, SadAfricans are very evil my brother. Those Mzamzi xenophobes have no human conscience in them, barbaric people.


If not for White South Africans that used their ingenuity to develop South Africa and make it a beautiful nation it is today, South Africa would have been worst than Gaza if it were to be inhabited by only the black SadAfricans.



Wicked Mzamzi Zulus

12 million rands = 1 billion naira
Midget giant of Africa Indeed

MMempire:
This SadAfrican government is wicked. Allowed 100plus to die before initiating evacuation. Just imagine the level of wickedness.

why do you venture into illegal mining in the first place,

Bliss4Lyfe:
Those stil alive down there, will die later after the removal.

I cannot call this rescue, it is a removal of bodies and dieing.

Damage to their organs and health may not be something that can be reversed.

Congrats South Africa u killed them all.

I applaud SA government for finally sending a clear unequivocal message to criminals and their nigerian sympathizers that after decades of warnings their time is now up. What's so difficult for all of you to understand that the Illegal miners (and foreign) have been stealing SA mineral wealth? It's clear many of you crime, no wonder nigerians have a terrible reputation in SA, you're irredeemable.

Elusive001:




You can imagine how evil south Africa is. This is the same country dragging Israel everywhere on earth. You will think they are very humane and care. No, it's about their evil.

Very evil country.
How could they allow this to happen?
All that the stoopid SA government did was to station some fat hippopotamus looking police officers at the entrance to the mines, to suppervise this barbaric annihilation of fellow humans. To think that these mines were all leftovers by white apartheid ing mine owners, makes the whole thing very revolting.
Someone needs to shout them down next time they start running those their ugly looking mouths.

MadPolitician:

Very evil country.
How could they allow this to happen?
All that the stoopid SA government did was to station some fat hippopotamus looking police officers at the entrance to the mines, to suppervise this barbaric annihilation of fellow humans. To think that these mines were all leftovers by white apartheid ing mine owners, makes the whole thing very revolting.
Someone needs to shout them down next time they start running those their ugly looking mouths.

Lol, like you all keep saying "the whites developed SA" with those minerals. What's SA gaining from these ones busy stealing the leftovers and sending to their countries and not investing in SA? Next time SA police should seal all the holes with cement and leave all criminals down there to die. Their nigerian crime sympathizers can then run to the ICJ, if they have the balls or organisational skills - which they clearly don't have😂😂😂

RandDigital:


I applaud SA government for finally sending a clear unequivocal message to criminals and their nigerian sympathizers that after decades of warnings their time is now up. What's so difficult for all of you to understand that the Illegal miners (and foreign) have been stealing SA mineral wealth? It's clear many of you crime, no wonder nigerians have a terrible reputation in SA, you're irredeemable.

SA Government should face ICC.

That was a cruel act and barbaric.

Those people are their out of desperation.

Desperate people have very limited choice and if the oportunity arise again, you wil still find desperate people prepared to take the risk foraging down in a mine for their daily bread.

Let this resonate in your mind and be understood, u thought nobody any lesson, just commited a crime.

SA Gov commited worst crime than the miners. Murder!

Two wrongs dont make a right.

Thought the SA Gov taking Israel to ICC would have known this.

It is like Africans crossing to Europe, they know the risk that they might drown in the ocean like thousands but yet take the risk out of desperation and limited choice.


I hope those responsible for this face the law from the Police Commanders to the Minister.