Pretoria - Two men and a woman were arrested on Monday in Matholeville near Roodepoort for their involvement in illegal mining activities, says the Gauteng Department of Community Safety.
This occurred during a campaign led by the department’s MEC, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, on Monday, which aimed to address illegal mining in Roodepoort and surrounding areas.
The department said equipment used to smelter gold and a number of bags containing unprocessed gold dust from the nearby abandoned shafts were found and confiscated in Matholeville, which is one of the hotspots visited during the campaign.
“A man and a woman suspected to be behind the operation were arrested… A few blocks from the hotspot, [another man] was arrested for running an illegal gold processing plant,” the department said.
The MEC, who was accompanied by officials from the national Department of Mineral Resources, National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee and local South African Police Service (SAPS) members, also visited open holes used by illegal miners as an entry and exit point to abandoned shafts near the Sol Plaatje settlement.
The department said the aim of the campaign was to create awareness on the dangers of illegal mining and to mobilise communities around abandoned mining sites to partner with government in the fight against these illicit activities.
The department said this was the start of an ongoing campaign to be rolled out in identified hotspots in the West Rand and Ekurhuleni regions where illegal mining activities are prevalent.
“Over the years, illegal mining has created a negative financial impact on the country due to loss of revenue and has led to a number of criminal activities including trespassing, theft and death in some cases,” said the department.
MEC Nkosi-Malobane said illegal mining has contributed significantly to crime levels in the province, particularly murder, over the years.
“As the Gauteng City Region, working closely with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders such as the national Department of Mineral Resources, we have developed a plan to address these illicit activities,” said the MEC.
She said the department also has a plan to raise awareness on the dangers of illicit mining activities posed to community members living near the identified hotspots.
“These [activities] include murder, sexual violence, diversion of water from communities and regular power cuts due to illegal connections.
“So far, about 24 abandoned shafts have been closed in this area. However, what is worrying is that these illegal miners find alternative access to these shafts. We working tirelessly to ensure that we bring kingpins behind illicit mining to book,” said MEC Nkosi-Malobane. - SAnews.gov.za
