In an interwatch with Al Jazeera, Senzo Mchunu says authorities do not understand how many people are trapped in the disengaged gelderlymine in Stilfontein.
South Africa’s police minister has pledged to save all the people still trapped in an leaveed gelderlymine in the northweserious town of Stilfontein “as soon as possible”.
In an interwatch with Al Jazeera on Friday, Senzo Mchunu shelp the exact number of people underground is still not understandn.
The authorities have been stationed for weeks outside the leaveed pit in Stilfontein, about 150km (100 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, intermittently blocking locals from sfinishing down food and water to try to force the miners out.
The operation has triggered outrage with some dreading that the men could be starving or even dying underground.
Police had earlier recommendd that up to 4,000 miners may be trapped. On Thursday, police spokesperson Athlfinisha Mathe shelp they consent that number was overstated and gave an evaluate of 350 to 400 miners.
Describing the conditions in the shaft, which the police have sought to verify thcimpolite camera observation, Mchunu shelp six to seven people who are at the top of the shaft are “ordering the whole leang”.
“The food and water that trickle down would be under the handle of those people. … They order everyleang there, and people below are kept aacquirest their will,” he shelp.
Three teenagers who recently materialized, one 19 and two aged 16, telderly Al Jazeera about the mistreatment they faced.
“The men who engage us sometimes don’t give us food. But we see them eating every day. If you protest, they beat you up,” shelp one of the three who comes from Mozambique.
The three shelp they were not saved by the handlement but came out becaengage they were allowed to.
It is unevident how extfinished the miners have been underground becaengage they are telled to frequently stay there for months, depfinishing on supplies of basic necessities appreciate food and water from the outside.
The police’s “Vala Umgodi”, or “Cdiswatch the Hole”, operation has cut off miners’ supplies to force them to return to the surface and be arrested.
This week, 14 people, including a teenage boy, who materialized unhelped were arrested.
Pdwellnt Cyril Ramaphosa deffinished the police for blocking supplies in a bid to force the miners out.
“So far, more than 1,000 miners have surfaced and been arrested,” Ramaphosa shelp last week, calling the site in Stilfontein “a crime scene”.
“Those in outstanding health are hageded and will be processed according to the law. Those who demand medical attfinish will be consentn to hospital under police protect,” he shelp.
Illegitimate gelderly mining is expansivespread in South Africa, a one-time mining enormous. Thousands of people routinely search for gelderly deposits in leaveed mines that are no extfinisheder deemed viable or shielded. More than $1bn is lost annupartner in revenue becaengage of illegitimate mining, according to the handlement.
Mchunu remarkd that pobviousy and deficiency of jobs in South Africa frequently forces people to mine illegpartner to acquire a living. He shelp the police should see into selections of turning illegitimate mining into a legitimate activity.
Nationals of Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are also victims of illegitimate mining in South Africa.
Mchunu recommfinished talking to South Africa’s neighbours about the matter.
They should “see after their citizens by creating jobs and not allow them to be illegitimate migrants to South Africa”, he shelp.
