Kopang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX) says Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s decision to refuse to deliver Anti-Retro Virals (ARVs) to the illegal miners, also known as zama zamas in Stilfontein, North West, is a clear violation of constitutional healthcare rights.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), an estimated 400 illegal miners are underground in an abandoned mine in Stilfontein. The zama zamas who refuse to resurface, fearing arrest, wrote a note requesting that ARVs – which are used to treat HIV/AIDS – be sent down into the mine shaft.
NGO CONDEMNS MOTSOALEDI FOR ‘REFUSING’ TO DELIVER ARVs TO ZAMA ZAMAS
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Motsoaledi said a doctor must diagnose a patient first and then prescribe the ARVs, reiterating that the pills are “not like Panado” – an over-the-counter medication – and most importantly, they are not distributed like food, water and vitamins.
Motsoaledi said deputy police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili confirmed that the ARVs would be sent down to the zama zamas; however, he is unsure how she could do that.
“Who do you send ARVs to? As I’m saying, for you to get any medication, especially like ARVs, a doctor ought to have examined you and prescribed them. Under whose name will the ARVs come out, where will they come out, and what will they be treating? We don’t know anybody’s diagnosis,” Motsoaledi said.
Further, Motsoaledi said that police minister Senzo Mchunu told him that if there is a doctor who is willing to go underground and examine the zama zamas, they will not be stopped by police.
“We can’t just take medicine and say somebody demanded ARVs; we are taking them there. What if we are causing harm to a particular person?” the minister asked.
Reacting to Motsoaledi’s sentiments, KAAX said the refusal to deliver ARVs underscores a failure to prioritise human life.
The organisation said Motsoaledi’s inaction disregards the Doctor’s Oath’s principle of “do no harm, preserve life.” Instead, law enforcement has actively blocked essential supplies, compounding the humanitarian crisis underground.
‘GOVERNMENT NEGLIGENCE AT THE HEART OF THIS CRISIS’
Further, KAAX said government negligence is at the heart of the “crisis” in Stilfontein.
The organisation said abandoned mines had been left unsealed and unmanaged for decades, creating fertile ground for criminal syndicates to thrive. Mining companies, having extracted immense profits, have shirked responsibility for rehabilitating abandoned sites, while the government has failed to enforce accountability.
“This governance void has turned ex-miners into zama zamas forced to navigate dangerous conditions while facing threats from police and criminal networks.
“The xenophobic framing of this crisis is equally alarming. False narratives accusing migrants of monopolising informal mining distract from the broader issues of poverty and government neglect. This rhetoric fosters division and absolves those in power from addressing systemic failures,” KAAX said.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NARRATIVE NGO’S ARE DRIVING THAT THE ILLEGAL MINERS IN STILFONTEIN ARE TRAPPED?
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