The Democratic Alliance (DA) has emphasised the urgent need for a comprehensive investigation into the Buffelsfontein mine in Stilfontein, in the North West, with the GOOD Party urging Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to focus law enforcement on illegal mining kingpins.

Almost 250 illegal miners have been retrieved since the start of phase three of rescue operations this week, with 78 dead bodies recovered.

Last year, Mchunu appointed a task team to lead the retrieval of thousands of zama zamas occupying the Buffelsfontein gold mine.

DA spokesperson on Mineral and Petroleum Resources James Lorimer said his party delivered an official letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, urging him to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the ongoing disaster at the Buffelsfontein mine.

The DA said it believed that the crisis at the mine warranted a “full and transparent” inquiry into the causes and consequences of the disaster, calling on the inquiry to investigate the role of government agencies and the involvement of the private sector.

The party wants an investigation into the role of the mine's owners, management, and operators in ensuring safety and mitigating illegal mining activities.

The DA also called for an assessment of how government agencies have responded to the crisis, particularly considering the Gauteng High Court's order for a lawful rescue operation.

The party said the inquiry should propose recommendations for preventing similar disasters in the future, including regulatory improvements and stronger measures against illegal mining.

“The DA urges President Ramaphosa to act swiftly, while witnesses are still available, to ensure that this inquiry takes place. A transparent investigation will help uncover the full scope of the crisis and prevent future tragedies of this nature,” said Lorimer.

GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron said his party supported the call for a commission into government’s “delayed response” to the humanitarian crisis in Stilfontein.

“…it is astonishing that the situation was allowed to drag on for months and was only ‘resolved’ because our government was taken to court and forced to prioritise life. The bodies of illegal miners which have been brought to the surface, affirms the dire situation below ground, which is supported by the physical state of the zama zama’s who have surfaced and been arrested,” Herron said.

He said the inquiry must clarify the “grey area” of legislation and government’s argument that the Buffelsfontein gold mine was not closed or in a state of disrepair but rather that the owners still maintained a valid operating licence and had merely paused operations.

ILLEGAL MINING KINGPINS

Herron pointed out that there was increasing evidence provided by the community and in the testimony of the illegal miners that mining kingpins were in control of the illegal mining situation.

“A vast majority of those trapped 2 000 m below the earth’s surface, were merely victims of socioeconomic issues, like unemployment and the lack of economic opportunities. Many of the illegal miners claim to have been brought to the mine under false pretences, with some claiming kidnapping and forced work,” he highlighted.

He said middlemen were alleged to have controlled access to food and water in the shaft, and that while a large proportion of the miners were foreign, the local community was made up of many foreign and local former miners who lived without livelihoods owing to the closing down of mines.

The party wants Mchunu to ensure that law enforcement focuses its attention on the illegal mining kingpins who “abuse the desperation of others for illicit financial gains” and put communities at risk.

Herron said government had failed to tackle the underlying socioeconomic issues that contributed to illegal mining.