Stilfontein Standoff: Calls for Minister Ntshavheni’s Dismissal Over “Smoke Them Out” Comments

The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) has demanded the removal of Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni following her controversial "smoke them out" remarks regarding trapped illegal miners in Stilfontein, North West. GIWUSA president Mametlwe Sebei condemned her language, likening it to the rhetoric of "colonial apartheid" and calling for immediate accountability. Tensions rise as the community and labor organizations push back against what they view as insensitive treatment of vulnerable miners facing life-threatening conditions underground.