The illegal mining thread

Come now, people. We are better than that, even if we think they aren't. There are many really desperate people in our land.
 
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There are many really desperate people in our land.
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I get your point but if it was a case of 200 desperate people holding up a shopping mall we would perhaps respond differently ?

Bring them out safely, then lock them up.
 
ER24JHBEast ‏@ER24JHBEast 40s

All Rescue operations have stopped and the crime scene has been handed over the SAPS and Gold One mine security. #Benoni @ER24EMS
 
daveza said:
I get your point but if it was a case of 200 desperate people holding up a shopping mall we would perhaps respond differently ?

Bring them out safely, then lock them up.
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Agreed about locking them up. But people baying for their blood is just repulsive. These guys endangered themselves - they're really no different than a base jumper jumping off a building illegally...
 
200 people trapped in a mine is an emergency situation in like manner to a ship sinking - get the people ashore and then worry about stowaways.
the State (as opposed to private persons) have an obligation under law to within their means act in this situation-- I am pretty sure in addition to riot natural disaster obliterates my insurance.

The President has a duty under oath to take steps to protect lives in the Republic and beyond having a solemn duty he also pretends to care. Yet after how many hours of a private sector participants going above and beyond the call of duty the SANDF has not been deployed to provide operational support? I am sorry, if the defence force can rescue tourists from the mountains and deploy when ships sink getting men to the surface is a simply part of their operational requirements.

Yes criminal activity should be successfully prosecuted but really jack up the NPA and get the detective services right - find the syndicates involved in this activity, because they are not the people underground. But this massive announcement that they will be arrested on spot is simply making a dangerous situation even more dangerous.
The real travesty is that our labour market provides these human beings with no alternatives despite their evident preparedness to undertake work at great risk.
 
Some miners freed; others refuse to come out for fear of arrest

Miners who are freed are taken into custody after medical checks
Boulders blocking exit to mine have been removed, rescue service says
Miners were working in a long-abandoned gold mine illegally, authorities say
South Africa has tried to crack down on illegal mining
(CNN) -- Eleven miners have been freed after being trapped since Saturday in an illegal gold mine in South Africa. But the rest are refusing to come out because they fear being arrested, according to rescuers from ER24 emergency medical service.

The mine is an abandoned gold mine in Benoni, just outside Johannesburg.

Those who have surfaced were taken to a medical station and checked for injuries, and once they cleared, were taken into custody by local police, ER24 said.

Earlier, boulders blocking the miners from exiting the mine were removed, the company said.

Initially ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said that a rockslide trapped the miners. But Govan Whittles, a reporter for South Africa Eyewitness News at the scene, said the miners told rescuers that a rival group dropped boulders down the shaft to trap them.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/16/us-safrica-miners-idUSBREA1F0A120140216
 
Rescue operations to bring illegal miners trapped underground at an abandoned mine in Benoni on the East Rand, have been suspended because the miners did not want to come up, paramedics said on Sunday.

"Rescue operations were stopped shortly before 7pm. After the 11 illegal miners have been brought up, the rest heard that they would be arrested and said they did not want to come back up," ER 24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said.

"The men refuse to come up and have become quiet and it is too dangerous for rescue workers to go down."

He said ER 24 would not return on Monday until the miners indicate that they were ready to come up.

Private security companies and the police remain at the shaft overnight, he said.

Ekurhuleni emergency services would also not return on Monday.

Vermaak said it was not safe for the illegal miners to stay underground. He said food and water were sent down earlier on Sunday, so the men can stay hydrated.

There was enough oxygen for the men, he said.

"However, it remains unsafe and the shaft can fall at any minute."

Eleven illegal miners have been brought to the surface.

The group went through a medical assessment and no injuries were reported so far, Vermaak said at the time.

At least 200 illegal miners were believed to be trapped.

Earlier, Vermaak said rescue teams were able to speak to about 30 of the miners trapped near the top of the old mine shaft.

"Approximately 30 people are trapped towards the top of the old shaft and the rest down a steep tunnel."

Those near the top had told the rescue services that about 200 people were in the tunnel.

The miners were found on Sunday while emergency services were conducting operations around illegal mining in the area. They heard screaming from the abandoned mine.


Source : Sapa /dm/od
Date : 16 Feb 2014 22:40
 
DJ... said:
Agreed about locking them up. But people baying for their blood is just repulsive. These guys endangered themselves - they're really no different than a base jumper jumping off a building illegally...
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And if they get killed doing it it's their problem.

They know the repercussions of their actions.
 
There's actually a connection between you being able to flush your toilet and a society that tries to save people in life-threatening situations, even if it's through their own negligence. Next time you take a shower and enjoy piped water, think how it's connected to the ambulance speeding to a car crash, or the lifeguard on the beach. It's all of a piece, really.
 
DJ... said:
What did they do to you? Their actions, however illegal, don't warrant death...
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You mean besides stealing mineral resources, possibly using that income to fund illegal operations, putting the lives of other citizens in danger, avoiding tax and wasting taxpayer (my) money on a rescue operation and living expenses (prison) later?

I'd drop a stick of dynamite down that shaft and still be pissed at the amount of money I have spend on the dynamite, losing the shaft and precious Sunday family time.

And no, I am not rage fueled idiot. I just think we are far to 'nice' these days with people shafting (lol) us these days.
 
Arthur said:
There's actually a connection between you being able to flush your toilet and a society that tries to save people in life-threatening situations, even if it's through their own negligence. Next time you take a shower and enjoy piped water, think how it's connected to the ambulance speeding to a car crash, or the lifeguard on the beach. It's all of a piece, really.
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dafuq?
 
Now they are refusing to come out...

dlk100 Are you in the gold sector or coal?
 
Now they are refusing to come out...

dlk100 Are you in the gold sector or coal?
 
I don't understand all the hate for some brave guys who want to go underground to recover some of the natural wealth of the earth for themselves.
It's an abandoned mine, isn't it?

-----

>> Corne: "dafuq?"

>> Arthur: "No wonder democracy is in trouble. "

:'{
 
Fingolfin said:
I don't understand all the hate for some brave guys who want to go underground to recover some of the natural wealth of the earth for themselves.
It's an abandoned mine, isn't it?
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Is the shaft really abandoned?

They are not brave, I think there are lots of warning signs that lead up to the shaft and it is a bad idea to go down any shaft that has not have maintenance or repairs done to the supports. I can't imagine they make a lot of money too... so i have to think they are just plain stupid...
 
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