Stilfontein mining crisis: Mashaba questions constitutional protections for illegal miners

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has called out the constitution for protecting the illegal miners in Stilfontein mine, saying he does not feel sorry for them because they went into the abandoned shafts voluntarily.

"I personally have got no sympathy whatsoever for criminality, more especially looking what is happening in the country," said Mashaba.

Mashaba questioned the government's efforts to rescue the zama-zamas in the mine, doubting that the constitution was really for law-abiding citizens.

The government launched a rescue operation following a court-order mission that is focused on retrieving those trapped, either alive or deceased, as emergency teams work relentlessly to bring them to the surface.

So far, over 200 survivors have been brought to the surface, some in a severely weakened and disoriented state.

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Mashaba expressed disappointment with the constitution, stating that he did not sympathise with any one miners dead or alive, citing their criminal activities.

“I find it very difficult to understand that South Africans, last month, we have been focusing on criminality for the past month, saying that criminals must be assisted. In my view personally, this does not make sense.

"These miners in Stilfontein voluntarily came into our country illegally and I find it strange that we are a country that when we adopted our constitution in 1996 was to protect criminals and not law-abiding citizens," he stressed.

"Some of us in politics would question, if this constitution and human rights for criminality, is not for law-abiding citizens," he said, maintaining that he had no sympathy for the miners.

"I don't have sympathy for criminality," he added.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to set up a commission of Inquiry into the ongoing disaster in Stilfontein. 

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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