By Simon Nare
Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has shot down any suggestions of the government intervening to help trapped illegal miners to get food.
She told the media in a post-Cabinet briefing on Wednesday that there was no way the government would help people who she described as criminals.
“You want us to help criminals. We are not going to help criminals. We are going to smoke them out and when they come out, we are going to arrest them. Criminals are not to be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted. We didn’t send them there,” said Ntshavheni.
Hundreds of illegal miners, commonly known as zama zamas, are trapped in a disused mine in at Stilfontein in the North West after the police blocked tunnels and entrances where they access food.
Hundreds of them have surfaced already.
One resident who had gone underground to help, told television news that there were thousands of illegal miners underground.
He said they were starving to death and there was a stench of bodies.
Ntshavheni said if there were any parents whose children were underground and they wanted government to help, they must tell law enforcement officials why they did not report that their children were involved in criminal activities.
She said the government could not be expected to send police to go and help those who had gone underground to destroy the country.
The minister said anyone who wanted to help the zama zamas was more than welcome to do so, but as soon as they come out, police would arrest them.
“Our programme is to smoke them out and close the hole so that there cannot be an illegal mine. That’s is our programme. It’s only in South Africa where you hear a criminal having a comfortable bed.”
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