‘Was he not a convict?’ – Kenny Kunene slammed after saying Stilfontein miners ‘must die like rats’

Human rights organisation Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) has accused Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy president Kenny Kunene of using “cheap politics” after his comments on the zama zamas at Stilfontein.

Macua spokesperson Magnificent Mndebele on Friday slammed utterances from Kunene and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba on the illegal miners in Stilfontein.

Kunene reportedly said on Thursday that he has no sympathy for the illegal miners as they are criminals.

“I have absolutely no sympathy. They must die like rats underground there, all of them. They must burn in hell,” he was reported to have said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

ALSO READ: More than 50 bodies recovered from disused Stilfontein mine

Kunene was a convicted criminal

Speaking to The Citizen, Mndebele questioned whether Kunene deserved to die as he too was a convicted criminal.

“So people like Kunene himself, they were criminals and convicted. Does it mean that at the point before they were convicted, does it mean that they deserved to die simply because they were a criminal?”

Mndebele added that criminals have a right to life.

“If you’re a criminal, you don’t have the right to life. You must die. Essentially that’s the approach people like him are saying, which is very ridiculous.”

ALSO READ: Who is responsible for Stilfontein’s tragic deaths?

WATCH: ‘No sympathy for criminality’

Furthermore, on Newzroom Afrika, Mashaba shared similar sentiments on the Stilfontein miners.

“So I have personally gotten no sympathy whatsoever for criminality,” he said.

[WATCH] "I personally have got no sympathy whatsoever for criminality," ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says the illegal miners in #Stilfontein went into the disused shafts voluntarily and that the constitution is protecting criminals. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/wuJfW6Ipk3

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) January 16, 2025

Mashaba then questioned if the constitution is for criminality or law-abiding citizens.

”When we adopted our constitution in 1996 it was to protect criminals, not law-abiding citizens, which is really very unfortunate,” he said.

According to Mndebele, the comments from the politicians were nothing but “cheap politics”.

Cleansing at the mine

There had been calls for the cleansing of the mine, rescuers and the local community after the massacre.

However, Mndebele said that he would not comment on this.

“If people do meet faith, they must do it. If they don’t meet faith, then not. I’m just saying to you that I do not want to say much about religious and spiritual practices because people differ,” he added.

NOW READ: Stilfontein: Police say no illegal miners remain underground, courts will determine who’s responsible for deaths