By Hlulani Mashaba
Johannesburg - Illegal mining continues to threaten the stability of many communities in Gauteng province. This activity has an adverse impact on economic development, largely due to distortion of the true value of minerals.
Illegal miners, or zama zamas as they are commonly known, are notorious for their acts of criminality, including embedded violent killings, rape and house robberies, among others. Significant increases in house and business burglaries are normally recorded in areas where illegal mining activities are prevalent. It is alleged that burglaries are mostly perpetrated by illegal miners in their quest to acquire necessities such as groceries, alcohol and lighting equipment which are said to be very expensive underground.
The zama zamas are also notorious for shoot-outs involving rival gangs in the mining shafts, resulting in the spike of murder cases in the province. A staggering 6 424 people were killed in South Africa in the period, which represents an increase of 664 murders compared with a year ago when Mzansi was under Covid-19 lockdown. On average, 71 people were murdered daily in the country between April and June 2022. Gauteng recorded 1 490 murders during the reporting period, while KwaZulu-Natal topped the list in terms of murder rate with 1 623 murders recorded.
These are worrying figures by any stretch of the imagination. Many informal communities of various nationalities have made abandoned underground shafts their homes. It is critical that this illegal mining matter not be viewed solely as a law enforcement matter. This activity by its very nature has policing ramifications since they are required to curb illegal mining activities through arrests as well as conduct investigations to ensure conviction of suspects.
Most illegal miners embark on illegal mining activities without a permit or licence from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and have become a subsistence practice by Gauteng citizens and various nationalities.
The Gauteng Department of Community Safety has noted with concern the spate of rape incidents emanating from illegal miners, notably the gang rape ordeal in Krugersdorp, West Rand. This incident is condemned in its contempt. The department is delighted that many of the perpetrators of this atrocious crime have been brought to book to face the full might of the law. What happened to women in Krugersdorp should not happen to anyone, especially since it happened when the country was about to observe the Women’s Month programme. The department has noted the arrests of suspects for illegal mining in Benoni policing precinct a week ago.
Hopefully, these arrests will serve as a deterrent to perpetrators that they will be arrested and subjected to the criminal justice System. The number of disused or abandoned mineshafts in Gauteng is so high that the police do not have enough capacity to prevent the proliferation of illegal mining due to limited human and physical resources at their disposal. These illegal miners are heavily armed, making it very difficult for police to deal with this crime. In most cases, the police are not sufficiently equipped.
According to the Department of Mineral Resources, South Africa risks losing control of illegal miners entering shut-down shafts since these activities have increased to involve more than 14 000 people and are growing throughout the country, the world’s fourth-biggest gold exporter. The Gauteng Illegal Mining Forum must continue implementing measures to eradicate illegal mining activities. As a precaution, the rehabilitation and sealing of old shafts and holes should be permanent.
The police are committed to dealing decisively against illegal mining since it is a setback towards economic growth. Through the joint law enforcement operations, illegal mining activities will be monitored closely, and illegal miners will be arrested. Fighting crime including illegal mining is a shared responsibility between the police, the community and business. By working together, we can create safer communities where everyone will live without any fear of being terrorised by zama zamas.
The fight against illegal miners in our country must continue without delay. All sectors of society must join the police in their efforts to eradicate illegal mining in the province.
Illegal miners are a minority. We cannot allow illegal miners to dictate terms in our beautiful province. The illegal miners must be isolated and removed from our respective communities. This way, the task of building safer communities will be made easier. Let us wage a war against illegal miners.
Hlulani Mashaba is the Deputy Director of Media Relations at the Gauteng Department of Community Safety.