A man who emerged from the disused mines at Stilfontein on Monday had a letter which conveyed several requests from the illegal miners holed up underground.
Some of the requested items in the long list in the letter included mayonnaise, washing powder, tomato sauce, beef, Koo canned beans, soap and deodorants.
The letter seen by IOL stated that their relish had finished and therefore they were requesting beef and tinned fish.
The letter also stated that rice has been finished and they were requesting additional portions. The illegal miners also wrote that their paraffin supplies have been depleted and they were requesting more.
Last week, IOL reported that while food was being sent to the miners at Buffelsfontein goldmine in Stilfontein, the High Court in Pretoria found that the police were in breach of the court order which allowed the community, volunteers, and charitable organisations to provide essentials such as food and water to the miners.
This was after a community-based organisation, the Mining Affected Community in Action (Macua), again approached the court following Sunday’s ruling that the SAPS must for now allow miners at Stilfontein to immediately be supplied with food, water, and medication from the community and charitable organisations.
Macua, in an affidavit handed to court, said in spite of the SAPS being served with the court order, officials stationed at the Stilfontein Gold Mine refused to comply with the terms of the order.
Judge Nicolene Janse van Nieuwenhuizen said the SAPS was in breach of her order made on Sunday regarding the type and amount of food and other aid to be delivered to the miners. She ordered that the Sheriff be allowed to assist with the implementation of the order.
The applicant said that a community member physically served a copy of the order on a SAPS colonel who accepted receipt of the order but refused to acknowledge receipt of the court order in writing.
Judge Janse van Nieuwenhuizen was told that the order was also served to several other officials stationed at the Stilfontein Gold Mine; yet, they refused to comply with the terms of the court order.
Sabelo Mnguni, national administrator of Macua, said in an affidavit that the SAPS placed arbitrary limitations on the quantity of food that community members intended to lower down to the trapped miners, as well as the number of times food may be sent down.
Certain essential food items, including maize meal, canned fish, and soup, were also not allowed to be lowered down at all without any explanation.
IOL