LIMPOPO police arrested two illegal miners aged 37 and 48 at Bergenek in Westenburg policing area outside Polokwane following a joint operation on Friday.
The joint operation was led by the acting Capricorn District Commissioner Brigadier Sivhula joined by the Station Commander of Westenburg Lieutenant Colonel Pilusa.When the team pounced on the group, they were busy with illegal mining activities and two suspects were arrested. The other suspects managed to evade the arrest by fleeing the scene on foot.
Police said during the operation they seized tools used for illegal mining which include three generators, spades, soil extracts from the mines and corrugated irons.
They also arrested four suspects aged between 19 and 38 during the same operation for contravention of the immigration Act. Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the six suspects will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Monday 13 February 2023.
The arrest comes at a time when there are mounting calls for more action against illegal mining. In his State of the Nation Address on 9 February, president Cyril Ramaphosa said government is strengthening the South African Police Service to prevent crime and improving the capacity of the National Prosecuting Authority and courts to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
“This includes putting more police on the streets and setting up specialised teams that will focus on specific types of crime,” Ramaphosa said.
He said more than 10,000 new recruits graduated from police academies and a further 10,000 will be recruited and trained this year.
“The specialised police teams that are working on tackling crimes like kidnapping, extortion and illegal mining have had several breakthroughs, arresting dozens of suspects and achieving several convictions,” said Ramaphosa.
The Minerals Council has called for the expedition of the inclusion of artisanal and small-scale miners in the formal economy. “This does not include legalising illegal miners, who are engaged in criminal activities. There can be no formalisation or acceptance of criminal enterprises,” the Council has said.
The Minerals Council has called for the establishment of specialist well-resourced and dedicated mining police task force focused on mining-related crimes and urgent changes to the law to define illegal mining as a recognised criminal activity with strict penalties.
It has also called for improved crime intelligence to ensure the leaders of the criminal syndicates behind illegal mining are arrested and prosecuted and for fresh engagement with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy about how to deal with 6,100 derelict and ownerless mines as well as old mine dumps within the regulator’s remit in innovative ways to curtail criminal activities at these sites.
The National Association of Artisanal Miners (NAAM) is advocating for the speeding up of the implementation on formalization and decriminalization of artisanal mining in SA.
The organisation which represents artisanal miners across SA argues that such a move will revitalise the economy of the distressed mining towns and contribute to national revenue while curbing illicit flow of minerals and finance out of the country. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
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