The Lesotho government has confirmed that all the 20 bodies of Basotho nationals found near a disused mining shaft at Orkney, Klerksdorp in the North West have been repatriated to the mountain kingdom and they have been buried.
They died during a gas explosion while mining illegally at the shaft.
Lesotho Consul General, Selimo Thabane says all of them were repatriated home by their families.
“As we speak they are all buried. What we are waiting for now is talks between the two governments. I think we were supposed to have further meetings with the provincial leadership of course initiated by Matlosana’s point of view,” says Thabane.
The Matlosana local municipality’s Khaya Ndincede says as the troika of the municipality, they agreed to ask for an intervention from the Minister of Defence.
“We request an intervention because Matlosana municipality is becoming a crime centre to all the criminal elements that are taking place in the institution. Not in the institution itself but in Khuma, there is illegal mining in Kanana even in Vaal Reef and the source of that is cable theft in old mines that are no longer operational,” says Ndincede.
VIDEO: 12 of the 20 bodies discovered in Orkney had names and contact numbers on them:
