24 more illegal miner captives rescued this morning
The rescue operation can still take a few more days.
The ongoing rescue mission of the captives of some illegal miners holed up in an old disused mine in the Sabie plantations has seen at least 24 more souls brought to surface this morning, Friday, December 6.
This brings the number of captives that have so far been saved to 65.
“Already 24 captives were brought to the surface since the operation started at 06:30. The operation is running smoothly and faster,” said a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli.
ALSO READ: UPDATE | Number of rescued zama zama captives stands at 33
The efforts were boosted yesterday after some special equipment and a specialised team of rescuers arrived on the scene, but had to be suspended last night, Thursday, December 5, due to visibility challenges after sunset.
The national police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, led a high-profile delegation to monitor the operation yesterday. He was accompanied by other high-ranking national police officials, as well as the provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi.
Masemola stated that most of these zama zamas had been lured to the area for employment, building houses, but ended up being forced at gunpoint to get into the mine and work there instead.
The Mpumalanga premier, Mandla Ndlovu, also arrived on the scene for first-hand information about the developments.
The operation continues.
