NGO proposes using drones to assess conditions at Buffelsfontein mine

NGO Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) has proposed using drones to assess and document the underground conditions of illegal miners at shafts 10 and 11 of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, North West.

This comes as the organisation turned to the Constitutional Court seeking urgent intervention on “trapped” miners after the Pretoria high court dismissed its bid to force the government to rescue and provide relief to the miners remaining underground.

Macua spokesperson Magnificent Mndebele said the organisation had secured funding for drone expert services and has presented a proposal to the government. She said the organisation believed the data captured by drones would help all parties understand the situation underground.

“The video footage obtained through this drone inspection will be instrumental in providing all concerned parties, possibly including the court, with a clearer understanding of the conditions faced by the trapped miners,” Mndebele said. 

“The footage that can be obtained by a drone will serve to illuminate the circumstances underground, thereby facilitating informed decision-making about the urgency of the rescue operation, on which the state has dragged its feet for the past two months.

“Upon completion of the drone operation, it is hoped that the evidence will be made available for joint assessment by all parties involved. This process will be conducted in an open and transparent manner to ensure fairness and accountability.”

More than 1,500 illegal miners have resurfaced in Stilfontein, with some still underground.

The miners had been underground for weeks in a 2km-deep shaft when police pounced on them at exit points during Operation Vala Umgodi, which is aimed at combating illegal mining. The police operation included stopping food supplies from being sent underground. 

In December, Macua approached the Pretoria high court, seeking relief that would allow supplies to be sent to the suspected illegal miners. The court ordered several government officials, including the police and the mineral resources minister, to allow “community members, charitable organisations and interested parties” to provide humanitarian aid to the miners.

Supplies have reportedly dried up, and due to starvation some miners have reportedly resorted to eating the flesh of some of the miners believed to have died.

Mndebele alleged that the first proposal to help the miners was thwarted by a company that owns the mine, under the supervision of the police.

“At the time we had offered to lower a cellphone into the mine to record the conditions underground so we could all have a better assessment of the situation. However, this proposal did not materialise as the pulley system, which was needed to send down the camera, was [allegedly] destroyed shortly after we made the request.”

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