Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has assured residents of Stilfontein, North West, that the rescue team appointed to retrieve illegal miners at an abandoned mine is ready to start its work.
He said the team, which was appointed two weeks ago following his first visit to the area, is likely to start its work next week.
Mchunu was speaking during a roundtable discussion with community leaders in Stilfontein, after holding a closed-door meeting with the rescue team.
“The rescuers say they’re ready, all we need to do is to give them a signal to start their mission.
We’re going to agree with them on which day next week they’ll have to start.
It’ll be at a cost of course.
But now things (rubble) have been cleared, it’s a question of sending machines down there to assist people to get out,” said Mchunu.
He said three methods would be used to extract the illegal miners, and this includes the use of Margaret shaft for the illegal miners to exit or be extracted, the use of a rope and specialised machines.
He however warned that the use of the rope will be excruciating, as it can only carry few people a day.
Despite this, Mchunu cautioned that the rescue team has raised concern by government’s plan to retrieve illegal miners underground.
“The rescue team said ‘Yes, there can be a rescue operation.’
But then they say they’re very reluctant to recommend, because of the dangers that they are talking about.
“They also included in their report that because it is not clear who is there and also because there are reports or rumours that there are people who are armed there, it adds to the danger if you go down there and something happens and all of that,” explained Mchunu.
Meanwhile, the Minister highlighted that the date and time of the rescue mission will be communicated to the illegal miners, by methods that have been used by authorities in the past weeks.
