The Benchmark Foundation says intricacies of illegal mining would not have been registered, if government prioritised the formalisation of artisanal mining. The views follow the deaths of 78 illegal miners at Shaft 11 in Stilfontein in the North West Province.

The Vala Umgodi police operation commenced in August at this area. More than 1,500 illegal miners started to resurface from the shaft in November.

Government’s procured mine rescuers retrieved 246 alive illegal miners and 78 bodies, this week.

“The high levels of unemployment in South Africa is central to the problem of why people risk their lives going underground in very dangerous situations, to go for gold and other minerals underground to sell on the surface. The Benchmark Foundation together with Legal Resource Centre and National Association of Artisanal Mining worked for three to four years in making inputs to that national policy on artisanal mining and we have hope that (will be) policy be released by now and implemented,” says Benchmark Foundation’s David Van Wyk.

VIDEO | Police confirmed yesterday that all illegal miners have been successfully retrieved in Stilfontein

Meanwhile, an illegal miner, who went underground in July last year, has shared sentiments of other community members that artisanal mining be formalised. He spoke to the SABC on the basis of anonymity.

“These shafts surrounding Khuma, they will assist us because we are depended on them. We pay our children’s school fees through this illegal mining, in order for them to survive as well. So, those shafts are important for us and I think they must be legalise it so that we can survive because when they are closed, then it is going to be something else,” he says.

VIDEO| Stilfontein residents say they want surrounding mines to benefit them.