There's gold down there

[Gob]

and it's staying there...

The operation to rescue illegal gold miners trapped in an abandoned mine in South Africa has been halted overnight.

So far 11 miners have been rescued from the shaft near Johannesburg.

Other trapped miners refused to leave after discovering they faced arrest at the surface. It is unclear how many remain underground, with reports suggesting they could number 200.

A full rescue operation will not restart unless the miners request it, said an emergency services official.

Werner Vermaak of ER24 told the BBC the mine site would be guarded overnight by a private security company, who can call for help if the miners change their mind. They could also prevent unauthorised rescue attempts.

Mr Vermaak said the miners would not be denied help if they called for it."They will be offered rescue should they decide to come out," he said, adding "but they will be arrested should they come to the surface again," he said.

Lacking ladders or ropes, they will not be able to leave the mine without help, he added.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-26217098

[Joe Guy]

I hope they let Meade out.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Majority of one again, Joe? Oh make that two. This kind of illegal mining goes on all the time. To the companies, the cost of extraction at some point far exceeds the yield and they close the mine. But to a man who has no income and only time on his hands (and I've not seen any female involvement thus far), the "investment" of his time and energy is amply rewarded by what he can dig out. So they pirate shafts into old mines and into the discarded debris of the fields. Sometimes it's just one alone or they might gather a few neighbours, friends and relatives to go in as well. There are at times pitched battles below ground between rival groups and deaths are fairly common.

The mining companies are required by law to secure the old shafts - and they usually block them quite well. But a determined and desperate guy with a shovel can do wonders here. If ever they could emigrate to the UK, they'd be a sensation at roadworks - not that they'd live long enough in the face of WIMPEY thinking.

Now, I'm off to find a roadside job-seeker with a shovel. It ain't DIY here, you know?

[rubato]

Well the Lord is known to help him who helps himself so this group of entrepreneurs were just helping themselves and getting righty with the almighty at the same time.

yrs,
rubato