The South African government will demand a refund of around three and a half million rands spent on the mission to rescue illegal miners in Stilfontein, in the North West province.   

The South African Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Matsanshe, denied that the Stilfontein mine is abandoned, because, he said, the owners exist and are known, but have fled to China.

It appears that the Pretoria government will be demanding the millions of rands it spent on the rescue operation from these owners. However, some organizations want to know who will pay for the lives lost.

The Minister noted that a lot of false information was spread at the time, including that the government's decision to rescue the illegal miners was forced by a court order, following a lawsuit filed by a non-governmental organization that defends human rights.

He explained that the process of rescuing the illegals trapped in the mine was planned and that the South African government cannot be blamed for the deaths.

The Minister accused illegal foreign miners of sabotaging the South African economy and promised stronger action to combat this evil.

According to him, last year alone illegal mining cost South Africa's economy 60 billion rand.

Mozambique, Lesotho and Zimbabwe are the countries where the majority of illegal miners come from.

Matanshe made these revelations at a meeting on Tuesday with members of parliament from the police and mineral resources committees.

The purpose of the meeting was to update information on the "umugodi ditch" operation, launched as part of the fight against illegal mining in the land of the rand.

Between the end of last year and the beginning of this year, more than 1,500 illegal miners, most of them Mozambicans, were removed from the Stilfontein gold mine after the South African military blocked all food supply routes.

More than 90 other illegal miners have died, and the North West health authorities are appealing to relatives to have their bodies recognized through DNA tests.

The South African Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, who was also present at the hearing with the parliamentarians, assured that investigations are continuing with a view to identifying those who profit from illegal mining. (Source: RM)