Mantashe admits he has no sympathy for illegal miners who get trapped underground

CAPE TOWN - Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe admitted he had no sympathy for illegal miners who get trapped underground.

He said it was false to claim government refused to rescue zama zamas from the Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein in the North West, neither that 98 people died because of delays on the part of government.

Briefing a joint meeting of Parliament’s police and mineral resources committees on Operation Vala Umgodi on Tuesday, Mantashe said misinformation had been peddled about the rescue operation in January.

Minister Mantashe said he was impressed by the work of Operation Vala Umgodi and it’s starting to show results.

But he said it was untrue that government had to be forced by an order of court obtained by NGOs to rescue trapped miners in Stilfontein.

He said that plans were already in motion and government can’t be blamed for the deaths.

"If you take a risk voluntarily, and you enter a dangerous place voluntarily, consequences thereof cannot be the responsibility of somebody else, it’s your own responsibility, you took that risk voluntarily and you entered that place voluntarily."

Mantashe said the mine was also not abandoned and the owners have been tracked down to China.

But he said he had no proof that illegal miners were hired by mining companies to extract minerals from minor deposits.

"I'm not a sympathiser of illegal miners, I must declare that. I don't sympathise with them."

He said the mine owners would be held responsible for the R3.5 million rescue mission.