'Government can't be responsible for illegal miners' deaths': Mantashe responds to Vavi

24 January 2025 - 12:36
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Mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe says government cannot be held responsible for the deaths of illegal miners.
Mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe says government cannot be held responsible for the deaths of illegal miners.
Image: Freddy Mavunda/Business Day

Mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe says the government cannot be held responsible for the deaths of illegal miners in Stilfontein, North West.

Earlier, South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said if pathology tests confirm starvation as the cause of death, the government should be held accountable.

“This massacre reflects the government’s failure to uphold the most basic tenet of our constitution: the right to life,” Vavi said.

“It is unconscionable that the government allowed this situation to deteriorate to such an extent. The cold, nonchalant manner in which government officials treat this needless massacre is testament to how cheap black life is.”

The debate centres on the government's decision to block supplies of food, water and other essentials to the illegal miners, forcing them to surface before the government's intervention to help with the rescue missions.

At least 78 dead bodies were pulled from the mine and 216 survivors were rescued in operations last week.

Briefing the media on Thursday, Mantashe said the government cannot be held responsible as the illegal miners went underground of their own free will.

“If you go to a dangerous place, such as a neglected mine, and stay there for about three months, starving yourself to death, how does that become the responsibility of the state?

“That tendency must be addressed. Capital-owned mines exploit resources, make money and when there's a risk it must be offloaded to the state. This cannot be correct,” he said.

Instead, Mantashe believes the responsibility lies with the owners of the mine.

“If I am the owner of a mine, making money and generating a profit, I should equally take responsibility.

“The Stilfontein mine, which is part of the Buffelsfontein Gold Company owned by a Chinese company, is owned by an existing company and that company must take responsibility.

“The state intervened to facilitate the rescue operation as an interim measure but that owner must take responsibility for the disaster.”

He highlighted the economic impact of illegal mining, estimating it resulted in a loss to the economy of about R60bn in 2024.

“That is a significant leakage from the value of the economy and therefore we cannot be merciful in dealing with that criminal activity. We must address it as a crime and acknowledge that the people underground entered voluntarily into a risky situation.”

TimesLIVE


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