Outrage As ARVs Handed To Illegal Miners While Law-Abiding Citizens Queue

The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced on Monday, October 18, that antiretroviral (ARV) medication would be provided to illegal miners, commonly known as “zama zamas”, who have refused to resurface from the Stilfontein mining shaft in the North West.

This decision follows an interim injunction from the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, stating that the mining tunnel must not be obstructed by any individual or entity, whether governmental or private.

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Illegal Miners Plea for ARVs

Officials and rescue teams on site received a message written in isiZulu from the illegal miners, requesting ARVs. The news that these miners would be receiving the medication has sparked outrage among South Africans, many of whom took to social media to express their dissatisfaction.

Public Reaction

South Africans voiced their frustration on social media platforms:

• User Tshepi remarked, “So you can take ARVs without a prescription. Interesting! Being a criminal in RSA truly has rewards. Now you don’t have to queue at hospitals like law-abiding citizens.”
• User Cecilia added, “Elders have to go to the clinic to get ARVs, but criminals who refuse to come out because they don’t want to be arrested are getting ARVs delivered to them. I hate this country.”
• User Mr. RightNow drew a comparison to the ‘Lily Mine Three’ incident, stating, “The government failed to take immediate action to rescue Lily Three but now they are showing effort to rescue the zama zamas by providing them with ARVs and food underground.”
• User K2 simply said, “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.”
• User Naledi claimed that the ARVs were not intended to treat HIV, suggesting, “We all learned long ago that ARVs form part of the ingredients to make nyaope. No one is sick down there, they’re just running out of drugs.”

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Broader Implications

Some users also touched on broader societal issues:

• User LadyM1306 commented, “South Africans are regarded as xenophobes, but officials are happy to provide ARVs to criminals who refuse to comply with the law.”
• User Bekithemba Zulu stated, “On a serious 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.”

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