UPDATE: 17 miners emerge from abandoned Stilfontein shafts
The number of suspected illegal miners who resurfaced from a disused North West mine rose to 17 by lunchtime on Thursday.
Earlier police confirmed three miners, believed to be Mozambican nationals, emerged from shaft 10 of the abandoned Stilfontein gold mine at 9 am.
This brings the number of miners that emerged from underground to 51 since Sunday night.
“Of the 17 illegal miners, 14 resurfaced from Margaret Shaft and three at Shaft No. 10. The 14 illegal miners who resurfaced at Margaret Shaft are foreign nationals from Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique foreign nationals. They are still being processed,” confirmed police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone.
ILLEGAL MINING IN THE NORTH WEST
Meanwhile, the High Court in Mafikeng has granted the National Prosecuting Authority a preservation order for stolen platinum group materials worth R350 million and a white Mercedes-Benz Vito, following an illegal mining investigation.
The materials were seized after a probe initiated this month, which stemmed from a tip-off by Impala Platinum Mine.
The NPA’s Sivenathi Gunya said the five accused, released on bail, face charges related to illegal mining.
The case was postponed until January next year.
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