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☆ South African police in standoff with hundreds of illegal miners in disused shaft
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

South African police were in a standoff Friday with hundreds of illegal miners believed to be underground in a disused shaft, after a cabinet minister said the government was trying to “smoke them out.”Police have been trying for weeks to empty the abandoned gold mine in the North West province as part of a crackdown on illegal mining, which has plagued South Africa for decades through small-time pilfering and organized criminal networks.More than 1,000 illegal miners resurfaced after police cut off their food and water supplies, but a police spokesperson said hundreds more could still be underground. South African police officers escort community members to a mine shaft to negotiate with artisanal miners in Stilfontein on Wednesday. Emmanuel Croset / AFP via Getty ImagesA decomposed body was brought up on Thursday, with pathologists on the scene, spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said. On Wednesday, asked whether the government would send help to the zama-zamas — a local term for illegal miners from the Zulu expression for “taking a chance” — Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said: “We are not sending help to criminals. Illegal gold mining costs South Africa’s government and industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost sales, taxes and royalties, according to an estimate by a mining industry body.

Persons: Emmanuel Croset, Athlenda Mathe, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni Organizations: ” Police, Getty, ” Senior Locations: North West, South Africa, Stilfontein, AFP

☆ South African government refuses to help hundreds of illegal miners in disused shaft
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Food and water supplies to those underground have been halted by police seeking to force the illegal miners to come to the surface, according to Reuters. ‘We are going to smoke them out’Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said on Wednesday that no help would be given to the illegal miners. According to Mathe, the police spokesperson, at least 1,172 illegal miners have so far surfaced voluntarily amid the pressure campaign. “Community members are stepping in and demanding to go and rescue these illegal miners themselves. Police have been escalating attempts to stamp out the activity of illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas.” More than a billion dollars is lost to illegal mining in South Africa annually, according to the country’s Minerals Council.

Persons: Athlenda Mathe, Ntomboxolo Qwanti, Sabata Mokgwabone, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, ”, Mametlwe Sebei, Ntshavheni’s, Sebei, Mathe Organizations: CNN, Reuters, South Africa’s Minerals, Agence France, Presse, AFP, North West, Associated Press, General Industries Workers Union, “, Police, country’s Minerals Locations: South Africa, South, Stilfontein, North West province, North

☆ Spanish tourist killed by elephants in South Africa while taking photo
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Spanish tourist was crushed to death by a herd of elephants inside South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park after he left his vehicle to take a close-up photo of the breeding animals, local police said. Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia identified the tourist as Carlos Luna, whom it said was from Zaragoza. The Pilanesberg Game Reserve is South Africa’s fourth-largest park and a popular tourist destination. In 2019, a suspected poacher was attacked and killed by an elephant, and his body eaten by lions in the northeastern Kruger National Park, authorities said at the time. Three months ago, an elderly American woman was killed after an elephant charged at a vehicle transporting tourists inside Zambia’s largest national park.

Persons: Sabata Mokgwabone, Mokgwabone, Carlos Luna, “, poacher, ” Organizations: CNN, CNN Wednesday, Vanguardia, Police, Park Locations: South Africa’s, West Province, Zaragoza, Spanish, South Africa, Limpopo, Southern Africa, American, West

☆ Impala Platinum halts work at some S.African mines after 11 workers died
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Impala Platinum (IMPJ.J) said on Tuesday it had temporarily halted operations at its Rustenburg mining complex in South Africa after 11 workers died in an incident at one of its underground shafts. The Johannesburg-based platinum miner said in a statement that 86 workers were involved in the incident at its No. 11 shaft and 75 injured workers had been admitted at four hospitals in the area. The company said all mining operations at the sprawling Rustenburg complex in South Africa's North West province had been suspended on Tuesday. Impala is among South African platinum producers that operate some of the deepest and oldest mining shafts in the world.

Persons: Nico Muller, it's, Felix Njini, Nelson Banya, Kim Coghill, Jamie Freed, Louise Heavens Organizations: Impala, National Union of Mineworkers, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa's, West

☆ South African authorities arrest 87 ahead of anti-government protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - South African security forces said on Monday that 87 people had been arrested in the last 12 hours across the country over public violence ahead of planned protests by the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. The EFF has called for a national shutdown to protest crippling power cuts and demand the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. The party's main constituency are the poor and working class Black South Africans who feel left out of the country's prosperity since the governing African National Congress (ANC) ended white minority rule in 1994. Parliament said in a statement on Sunday that the South African military would deploy 3,474 troops for a month until April 17 to prevent and combat crime in cooperation with the police. "Law enforcement officers are on high alert and will continue to prevent and combat any acts of criminality," NatJOINTS said.

☆ South Africa's EFF marches to demand president's resignation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Members of the political party, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), gather at Church Square after calling for a "National Shutdown" and demanding resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, South Africa March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Alet PretoriusJOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - Thousands marched through the streets of South Africa's cities on Monday to demand that President Cyril Ramaphosa resign, as security forces guarded malls and roads to prevent violence and looting. The Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, whose supporters are mainly poor and working class Black South Africans who feel marginalised since the governing African National Congress (ANC) ended white minority rule in 1994, had called for a national shutdown. South African security forces said on Monday that 87 people had been arrested in the last 12 hours over public violence ahead of planned protests. Parliament said in a statement on Sunday that the South African military would deploy 3,474 troops for a month until April 17 to prevent and combat crime in cooperation with the police.

[1/5] View of boats stuck in a sea with invasive green water hyacinth weed at the Hartbeespoort dam, informally known as "Harties", a small resort town in the North West Province of South Africa, February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Shafiek TassiemHARTBEESPOORT, South Africa, March 1 (Reuters) - The Hartbeespoort dam in South Africa used to be brimming with people enjoying scenic landscapes and recreational water sports. Now, the visitors are greeted to the sight of boats stuck in a sea of invasive green water hyacinth weed. Scientists and community members have, however, found a unique way to deal with the invasion by introducing a water hyacinth eating bug called Megamelus scutellaris. The insect army has previously reduced the expanse of water hyacinths to a mere 5% on the dam, Coetzee said.

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