South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, on Wednesday, said that the government will not attempt to rescue illegal miners trapped underground in Stilfontein, North West. Instead, she said authorities would take measures to “smoke them out.”

During a post-Cabinet media briefing, Ntshavheni said the government would not assist “criminals”. She said:

We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. We are not sending help to criminals. Criminals are not to be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted.

We didn’t send them there, and they didn’t go down there for the good benefit or for the good intentions for the Republic. So, we can’t help them.

Those who want to help them must go and take the food down there. They will come out, we will arrest them.

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The minister’s comments have sparked a storm of reactions. Some people support her strong stance, while others criticise her, saying her words show a lack of empathy for the families who are desperate for help in finding their miners.

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Phillip Mankge, acting deputy general secretary of NUM, called the minister’s remarks “inhumane” and “irresponsible.” He said:

As NUM we would like to categorically clear that we do not support the statement. In fact it is inhumane and irresponsible of the minister to utter such words when the people are trapped underground.

What is wrong with African people when they want to go back to their primitive mining stage, to say they want to mine themselves because we have an abundance of gold, chrome and all sorts of minerals in South Africa?

Around 4,000 illegal miners are still trapped underground in an abandoned mine shaft in Stilfontein, North West, with reports suggesting that some may have already died.

Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, a police spokesperson from North West, told SABC News that the police are working with local community members to help bring the miners to safety.

However, he also said that once the miners are brought to the surface, they will be arrested.

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