20 more illegal miners resurface in Stilfontein

STILFONTEIN - Twenty more illegal miners have resurfaced in Stilfontein, as authorities crack down on underground networks in the North West.

The group, which is believed to have been operating at the abandoned, old Buffelsfontein gold mine resurfaced on Wednesday.

Although Harmony Gold doesn’t own the mine where hundreds of illegal miners have set up shop, the zama zamas have been travelling kilometres underground from the disused shaft 11 to reemerge at one of the company’s shafts as an exit.

Twenty others resurfaced at the same shaft earlier this week, while 14 illegal miners resurfaced at a separate shaft on Sunday night.

This week alone, 54 illegal miners were arrested in the North West. 

North West police spokesperson, Sabata Mokgwabone: "Twenty illegal miners resurfaced today at Margaret Shaft. They consist of 10 Lesotho, six Zimbabwe and four Mozambique foreign nationals. They are still being processed."