North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management in the North West, Wessels Morweng has expressed anger and disappointed following reports of the alleged escape of one of the kingpins of illegal mining activities at Stilfontein.
IOL reported on Monday that James Neo Tshoaeli or 'Tiger', a Lesotho national, is believed to have escaped police custody after resurfacing from mine shaft 11 at Stilfontein last week.
According to police reports, Tshoaeli was never booked into any of the police stations where the Stilfontein illegal miners are being booked.
“This is an embarrassment that can’t be tolerated when you look into resources that are put together to eradicate illegal mining activities which so far had been successful. The news of escape comes as a shock,” said Morweng.
“This person was fingered by illegal miners who have resurfaced from the shaft and a video in police possession shows him as one of the brutal people underground who controlled all operations, killed, tortured and assaulted many and even kept food away from other illegal miners.”
The provincial MEC has appealed to community members to notify nearby police stations with information regarding the whereabouts of Tshoaeli, who is considered dangerous and a fugitive of justice.
“The fact of the matter is that there are many good police officers out there and if there are those who are involved in aiding Tiger, an example should be made out of them to show them that they have chosen a wrong career in the police and they must be dealt with harshly,” said Morweng.
“We can’t tolerate those kinds of officers in our ranks.”
In another development, one of the illegal miners who were rescued from the disused mines at Stilfontein has died in hospital.
Spokesperson for the North West provincial Department of Health, Tshegofatso Mothibedi said the miner was admitted at Klersdorp/Tshepong Tertiary Hospital in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District.
The patient died on Monday, at around 4am, according to Mothibedi.
“The patient, identified as one Mr Koali Rankomo, was admitted after being diagnosed with gastroenteritis and dehydration,” said Mothibedi.
Government intervened in an extensive mine rescue operation which led to the extraction of 246 illegal miners last week from the disused mine. The expert rescue team also recovered 78 bodies from the deep shaft.
IOL