You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Assuming that the BBC reporting is true, this is appalling. People besieged in a c.2000m deep mine and perhaps a hundred have died. All under SA Govt. instruction. Surely I have misinterpreted the article? Awful.
Here is another article about the situation from the Guardian
But neither article seems to answer the obvious question.....why are they not coming out, why are they apparently "trapped"?
The police want them to leave and it is claimed that hundreds have indeed left the mine, so why are some unable to come out?
I interpreted it that the Govt were willfully impeding the rescue.
"A long-delayed rescue operation, that last week a court ordered the government to facilitate, began on Monday."
And also from the BBC:
"Last year, arguing that the miners had entered the shaft in Stilfontein deliberately without permission, the authorities took a hard line, blocking food and water supplies."
Plus:
"In November, one government minister said: "We are going to smoke them out." "
I found this difficult to believe, even allowing for it being SA- I could imagine it being the behaviour of a mining company, but the government... beggars belief.
I interpreted it that the Govt were willfully impeding the rescue.
But firstly the government wants them to leave, that's presumably the whole point of “We are going to smoke them out.” And apparently hundreds have in fact left.
And secondly why do they need "rescuing"? Saying that they entered "deliberately without permission" doesn't explain why they now can't leave, or how the hundreds that have left managed to do so
Unless I am not reading the articles correctly neither of them really explain the situation properly.
...doesn’t explain why they now can’t leave, or how the hundreds that have left managed to do so
Six months ago the authorities closed lots of access points that were being used by miners for supply routes.
The mines run for hundreds of km in often flooded tunnels with rockfalls, gases, etc. that are typical of abandoned mines and the miners are also ill for various reasons.
Those that have surfaced have mostly got out through the Margaret Shaft in Stilfontein
Have a look at Ground Up, a SA human rights media organisation, it's explained there
The was a documentary on this a while back, annoyingly I can't remember the channel. The ones refusing to leave are likely modern slaves being run by organised crime. They've likely got debts that they have to pay and fear retribution if they leave
Well this is pretty informative :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yx9gwweeeo
And truly shocking
"Criminals are not to be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted," Ntshavheni said.
Had to read that twice as I thought I'd misread it. Persecuted, not prosecuted?
As Ernie said, shocking.
I guess as above... A lot of the miners are illegal and working for gangs..
I saw a documentary about it a while back.. Pretty grim... They risk thier lives every day, not to mention long term health problems for peanuts as they can't get any other work, they don't have much of a choice... Basically slavery.
So I guess the government has decided to try and do something about it. Probably the miners will suffer most out of this... Not the gangs running them.
I dont thnk it's the same doumentary I saw, but this gives you an idea: