Nothing humanitarian about crime, says Mantashe on Stilfontein crisis

Mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe has slammed suggestions that people trapped in the Stilfontein mining shaft last year were deserving of humanitarian aid after scores died underground.

Mantashe delivered an opening address at the 2025 Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Monday morning. He led the government delegation to the indaba on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who could not attend.

Mantashe said illicit trade and illegal mining were heavily prevalent in SA. He took a dim view of suggestions from non-government organisations that those rescued in Stilfontein be afforded food and medical treatment.

“South Africans say on humanitarian grounds, it’s a human rights issue, please protect the illegal miners. Give them food. Give them treatment. Give them this and that. And I ask: you want us to be humanitarian when dealing with criminals? What are we going to do when we must deal with people who are genuine and contributing to the economy?”

He said he had colleagues in the government of national unity who said the rescued miners should be assisted with medical care and food. He said while his cabinet colleagues believed Stilfontein was a mining and humanitarian problem, he believed the most appropriate response was to arrest the illegal miners.

“My view is that if you take a voluntary step to go into a dangerous place, it can’t be a humanitarian case. You are voluntarily in a dangerous place and the consequence of entering a dangerous place is that you get injured and sometimes die.

“It’s like committing suicide. Committing suicide can’t be a humanitarian case. When they say illegal mining is falling under us, I say: that’s not mining. Once you get into illegal mining, your minister is the minister of police. It’s not me. I am not your minister. If you are stealing coal, your minister is the minister of police.”

A statement from the Stilfontein Solidarity Committee last month said the SA Police Service was “unwilling to admit the survivors of the Stilfontein massacre to hospital for urgent treatment.

“During the rescue operation, only 25 of the 246 survivors were admitted to hospital despite the pleas of doctors and healthcare workers to urgently admit the rest to save their lives. This weekend, nine survivors were admitted with symptoms of refeeding syndrome.”

The statement said people who have been subjected to prolonged starvation and dehydration could be assisted by experienced medical professionals feeding survivors correctly. The group noted deadly typhoid on recovered corpses.

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