Illegal mining will only be stopped by a proper plan with a multifaceted approach, instead of more reactive actions by the government. University of the Free State economics professor Philip Berger said this after a ministerial briefing on illegal mining held by Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Montashe, Police Minister Bheki Chele and Home Affairs Director General Tommy Mahode on Thursday. The briefing comes after several special police units were dispatched to Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, following the gang-rape of eight women and the robbery of their film crew while filming a music video in the West Village. Also read: Chele announces Krugersdorp gang-rape suspects…
Illegal mining will only be stopped by a proper plan with a multifaceted approach, instead of more reactive actions by the government.
University of the Free State economics professor Philip Berger said this after a ministerial briefing on illegal mining held by Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Montashe, Police Minister Bheki Chele and Home Affairs Director General Tommy Mahode on Thursday.
The briefing comes after several special police units were dispatched to Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, following the gang-rape of eight women and the robbery of their film crew while filming a music video in the West Village.
Also read: Chele claims Krugersdorp gang-rape suspects have been identified
At least 84 suspects were arrested as a result of the criminal case. Chele said 14 of them involved gang-rapes.
Describing illegal mining as a “war on the economy” costing the state at least 42 billion rand in 2019 alone, Mantashi told MPs that his department was operating on an annual budget of 140 million rand to tackle abandoned and derelict mines in the country .
“The 140 million rand includes asbestos mine closure works. Last year, we closed 40 mines and three asbestos mines.”
In the past three years, 134 pits have been closed in the Witwatersrand area, he said, further estimating that it would take at least 17 years to close all the unused mines.
“In the West Rand alone, 42 holes were closed during this period. In terms of our statistics, 26 holes are excellent. At the rate we’re going, we’ll need 17 to cover all the known holes.”
READ ALSO: From cops to politicians: Crime syndicates supporting illegal mining well protected
“Illegals were made scapegoats”
Burger argued that the task of stopping illegal miners, also known as zama zamasshould not be the responsibility of the national government alone.
He said the police, SARS (Sars) and the Home Office should work hand in hand with anti-crime lobby groups, municipalities and communities and develop a plan to stop crime syndicates from all fronts.
He said the government needed a scapegoat, which resulted in illegal immigrants being solely blamed for illegal mining.
“It’s not just illegal immigrants, there are South Africans who do it as well … There are illegal operations where trucks and excavators are used for illegal mining that must also be stopped. Perpetuation of xenophobic sentiments by ministers is not necessary.
“The zama zama a guy who comes out of the underground will only earn a few rands from his efforts. The masterminds are syndicates making millions of rands from our stolen wealth. It will not end until the entire value chain is destroyed.”
READ MORE: Calls for permanent closure of abandoned mines to stop zama zamas
“Soldiers are not needed, the police are capable”
Providing an update on police operations, Tsele said that while the Kagisa township community in Krugersdorp wanted members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) to be deployed, the request was “premature”.
“Mohlakeng and West Village did not call the soldiers. We think it will be premature. This is done by the police to the best of their ability, as well as by the metro and private security firms.”
Chele said there was “nothing to worry about” regarding police capabilities.
“We are in constant contact with the Ministry of Defense, we are monitoring this. It is a pity that there was an uproar against the soldiers, which was never sanctioned either at the ministerial level or at the presidential level. This created confusion about the standby status of the SANDF. There is no such thing. The police have nothing to panic about, they are dealing with it.”
According to the minister, in 2019 a single police task force was established in the Free State to deal with illegal mining. The team focused on the Wellcome area, which has also been marred by illegal mining and brazen syndicates over the years.
However, Chele said, deploying police units in areas like the West Rand is not a permanent solution, and they will soon be withdrawn when the ramparts are closed.
“We don’t have enough workers. Most of our officers and resources are devoted to fighting the zama zamas. As Minister Montashe said, the closure and rehabilitation of the old mines is ongoing.
“This will help in the fact that in the medium term it will be possible to withdraw personnel and direct them to crime prevention. We believe that this cannot be a permanent phenomenon as we release officers [to these areas].”
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