South African Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving the tense situation with illegal miners in Stilfontein in the North West of the country through peaceful and safe measures.
"As a country committed to the rule of law and dedicated to upholding the human rights of all, we will continue to work towards a peaceful resolution of the standoff at Stilfontein," he said in his weekly newsletter to the nation.
The South African government is conducting a national operation against illegal mining, Vala Umgodi, focusing on a standoff with hundreds of miners refusing to surface and blocked by police at an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, according to the newsletter.
The operation, involving police and the South African National Defense Force, aims to arrest the miners, who pose risks due to their potential armament, the hazardous mine conditions, and their links to organized crime.
On Sunday, the High Court in South Africa's Gauteng province ruled that police must unblock all exits from a mine near Stilfontein to allow emergency services access to the miners, following concerns that police actions, including a ban on giving the miners food and water, violated their human rights and were prohibited by the South African constitution, reports said.
"The police will carry out their duties and responsibilities to bring the illegal miners to the surface safely. They will do all they can to reduce the risk of harm to the miners and to our law enforcement officials," the president also noted.