No relief for miners

Judge rules that NGO failed to prove state response was unconstitutional.

- Vhahangwele Nemakonde and Faizel Patel

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed an application seeking final relief for the illegal miners still underground at Stilfontein, North West, yesterday. Civil organisation, the Society for the Protection of our Constitution, had approached the court in a bid to force government departments, including the South African Police Service (Saps), to provide emergency disaster relief such as food, water, medical supplies and blankets.

The application sought to compel government departments to rescue those still trapped underground.

The organisation accused the police of blocking entrances to the mine shafts, making it impossible for the miners to resurface.

The Saps denied it had ever been in violation of any constitutional right to life and dignity.

It also denied claims that it had blocked any shaft or illegal miner from exiting and the evidence was the 1239 illegal miners who resurfaced in the past few weeks.