Shaft 11 at the Stilfontein mine in the North West.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
An eleventh body was retrieved from the Stilfontein mine in the North West on Tuesday.
The body was retrieved by community volunteers who lowered food down to the trapped miners.
Volunteers, who lowered food parcels down shaft 11, pulled out a body after they received a note from the illegal miners to let them know a body would be coming up.
In the note, the illegal miners stated they would be using the same ropes to send the bodies above surface as the ropes used to send down the food parcels.
The decomposed body was hoisted up as food parcels were sent down. It is believed more bodies are among those still trapped.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the body was retrieved from the mines where the illegal miners have refused to surface.
The retrieval of the bodies came after the community in Stilfontein was allowed to take down food to the trapped miners.
The food items include instant porridge and water.
Mathe confirmed that police were monitoring this process as per the court order, and were not participating.
An urgent application was made at the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Sunday.
The community-based organisation, Mining Affected Community in Action (Macua), sought an urgent court order to compel the government to provide humanitarian aid to the miners.
The Star reported Judge Nicolene van Nieuwenhuizen granted an interim order allowing for the immediate provision of aid, which will remain in effect until a full court hearing on Thursday.
This is a developing story.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL
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