Johannesburg - First came Cheese Boy, then out popped Jesus, followed by Kimbelani and Victor.
They emerged on Monday afternoon from the ventilation shaft of an abandoned mine near Robertville, in the West Rand, dusty and hungry after being trapped underground for more than 48 hours.
But within minutes of their rescue the four men were carted off in the back of a police van to the Florida police station, where they were arrested for illegal possession of gold and trespassing, while one of them was charged with being an illegal immigrant.
Cheese Boy, Jesus, Kimbelani and Victor are first names and nicknames - their full names can’t be used as they are still to appear in court.
Getting the four alleged illegal miners to the surface had taken a tricky five-hour operation by the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (JEMS) urban search and rescue team.
The rescuers had to carefully pull boulders and rubble from the ventilation shaft that on Sunday had been sealed.
As the rescue personnel worked, friends and family of the four men watched the operation from metres away. They had raised the alarm on Monday morning after trying to rescue the men themselves.
“We had moved about four or five stones, but then we went to the police station to get help,” said Steven Moleya, a friend.
Moleya explained that the four men had entered the ventilation shaft on Saturday morning, with eight other miners. They wanted access to the shaft.
Another miner, Norman Takalani, explained each of the men had to pay a security guard at the site R200. He added that this shaft gave access to higher ore-bearing gold.
Eight of the miners left the shaft later on Saturday.
On Sunday morning at about 9.30, the ventilation shaft was sealed to prevent access to illegal miners. On Sunday evening, the four men tried to exit the shaft.
“We expected the security guard to be there and open up for us, but he wasn’t there,” Victor said after the rescue. “We sat and waited but he never came.”
On the surface, Victor’s brother Vincent phoned their parents in Venda and told them what had happened. “They told me just look for him.”
The miners could speak to those trapped inside, and were even able to force a tube down the hole to carry water to them. They also passed down cigarettes.
JEMS spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said they first had to get permission from the Department of Mineral and Energy before they could act, as it was out of their jurisdiction. Once on site, the urban search and rescue team had to work slowly.
“It was a very difficult operation. We had to keep flattening the pile of rubble as there was the danger that it would roll down on us,” said a rescue member.
They also had to secure the lip of the entrance.
Once the miners were brought to the surface, ER24 paramedics examined them and found that none of them had injuries.
After the four men were taken away by the police, Victor called his parents - with the good and bad news.
The Star