Anger In South Africa As Trapped Illegal Miners Demand ARVs (Photos)

The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced on Monday, November 18 that it will give antiretroviral (ARV) medicine to illegal miners who refuse to resurface at the Stilfontein mining shaft in the North West.

This comes after the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria granted an interim injunction saying that the mining tunnel may not be obstructed by any person or entity, neither government nor private.

On Monday, officials on site and rescue teams, received a message from the illegal miners written in isiZulu, begging for ARVs.

The news that the zama zamas (illegal miners) will receive the medication aggravated South Africans who took to social media to air their opinions.

Social Media RESPONSES

“So you can take ARVs without a prescription. Interesting! Being a criminal in RSA truly has rewards. Now you don’t have to queue on hospitals like law abiding citizens,” a social media user Tshepi posted.

Another user, Cecilia, added to the conversation, saying elders have to go to clinic to get the ARVs, but “Criminals who don’t want to come out because they don’t want to be arrested are getting ARVs delivered to them. I hate this country”.

‘Mr.RightNow’ compared the doomed ‘Lily Mine Three’ mine workers whose bodies have been trapped underground since February 2016.

“The government failed to take immediate action to rescue Lily Three (mine collapse) but now they are showing effort to rescue the Zama Zamas by providing them with ARVs and food underground,” he said.

Another user, K2, simply said that in a normal nation with rules and morality, the criminals within that mine would not have dared to pose demands like asking for food and ARVs.

ARVs AS STREET DRUG

Naledi claimed that the ARVs were not going to the mine to treat HIV. “We all learned long ago that ARVs form part of the ingredients to make nyaope (street drug). No one is sick down there, they’re just running out of drugs.”

LadyM1306 commented that South Africans are regarded as xenophobes, but that officials are happy to provide ARVs to criminals who refuse to comply with the law.

“On a serous note though, South Africans have tolerated way beyond reasonable. Zama zamas are in the country illegally, trapped in a mine illegally and for some odd reason, demand ARVs from the government that they are stealing minerals from and undermining its authority,” added Bekithemba Zulu.

An estimated 4,500 illegal miners are said to be trapped underground with little food and water since a police operation on October 18. The police insist the miners are free to resurface but will be arrested.