By Charles Molele
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has ordered the unblocking of access to Stilfontein mine in order to allow rescue and emergency personnel to reach illegal miners trapped underground.
The ruling follows an urgent application by the Society for the Protection of Our Constitution.
The mine has been at the center of a national debate this week, with reports of hundreds of illegal miners, or Zama Zamas, stranded without food or water.
Tensions escalated on Thursday when authorities confirmed the recovery of a body, believed to be that of a miner, marking the first known fatality in the ongoing standoff.
On Saturday, two miners were rescued alive from the shaft, while efforts to save others continued throughout the day.
Emergency personnel and the police estimate that hundreds remain trapped underground.
The ongoing operation, part of the government’s Operation Vala Umgodi crackdown on illegal mining, has left dozens of miners trapped underground, with no clear resolution in sight.
This is a developing story: We’ll give updates on the situation as we learn more.
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