Activists taking govt to court over Operation Vala Umgodi

JOHANNESBURG - The standoff between law enforcement and illegal miners in Stilfontein in the North West is headed for a legal showdown on Tuesday morning as activists take the government to court over Operation Vala Umgodi.

This was after police and the army were deployed in parts of the province for the fight against illegal mining.

As part of the operation of enforcement closed entrances to the mineshaft used by the nearby community to bring zama zama's food, water and other basic supplies.

The move sparked mixed reactions with the Society for the Protection of our Constitution accusing the government of inhumane treatment.

The Pretoria High Court is set to hear an application by the Society for the Protection of our Constitution.

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Last week, the organisation approached the court calling for an urgent intervention in what they labelled a violation of human rights.

Part of the concerns were the implications of comments made by the Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni about persecuting illegal miners.

The papers filed by the organisation cite the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs as the first respondent and include the Ministers of Police, Health and Mineral Resources.

An interim order was handed down on Friday, giving the illegal miners a lifeline.

The court ordered the shaft to be unblocked, prevented police from stopping the movement of food and water supplies down the shaft and any trapped miners in the shaft be permitted to exit.

A total of nine illegal miners have resurfaced since last Friday.