**Court Orders End to Police Blockade at Abandoned South African Goldmine**

A South African court has mandated the lifting of a police blockade at an abandoned goldmine in Stilfontein, where hundreds of individuals have been residing illegally. Emergency services have been stationed at this mine, located approximately 90 miles southwest of Johannesburg, for several days.

The police had previously restricted the entry of food and water into the mine as a tactic to force the miners to come out. However, the miners, who have been underground for a month, feared arrest and thus refused to emerge. Among these individuals are undocumented migrants who also fear deportation. The police have welcomed the court's decision but have emphasized that it will not prevent them from arresting those who leave the mine.

On Saturday, a court in Pretoria ruled that no person or institution, whether governmental or private, may block access to the mine. The court also stipulated that individuals inside the mine should be allowed to exit, while restricting entry to non-emergency personnel. This decision follows reports of volunteers entering the mine to provide aid to the miners, who were reportedly surviving on items like vinegar and toothpaste. Volunteers have also recovered a body from the mine.

Police have brought in experts to evaluate the structural integrity of the mine shafts to decide whether a forced evacuation is necessary. Yasmin Omar, an attorney who helped bring the case to court, explained that the ruling is a temporary measure intended to provide emergency relief to those in need, with a full hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Omar stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that "these people underground are dying." The court's ruling obliges authorities to take reasonable steps to provide medical care to those underground. The South African Police Service (SAPS) stated that those who emerge will continue to be assessed by emergency medical personnel. "Those that are in good health will be processed and detained. Those that require further medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard," the SAPS assured in a statement.

As of 16:00 local time on Saturday, three miners had resurfaced. More than 1,000 miners have already emerged and been arrested. South Africa, rich in minerals, holds nearly 30% of the world's known gold deposits and 88% of all platinum deposits. However, many mines have closed recently, leading to a black market in mining activities that costs the government hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Illegal mining has increased due to rising mining costs, electricity disruptions, and deeper deposits making most mines unprofitable. Some miners, including undocumented migrants, spend months underground to extract remaining deposits, creating a small underground economy supplying food and cigarettes. Authorities are determined to halt these illegal practices due to the involvement of criminal gangs and the potential for armed conflict.

Among those who have surfaced at the Stilfontein mine are individuals from Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The SAPS has initiated a nationwide operation to combat illegal mining and its associated criminal activities. Recently, 565 people emerged from another mine in Orkney.

In response to complaints that the blockade might have violated the miners' right to life, the South African Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into the police's handling of the Stilfontein situation. Adding to the pressure, a government minister stated earlier this week that those underground would be "smoked out."