Africa-Press – South-Africa. Residents of one of Mpumalanga’s most popular tourist towns say they are fearful because illegal miners are increasingly disrupting life and services in their community.
People living in Simile township in Sabie say “zama zamas”, as illegal miners are colloquially known, are taking over the area through criminal activities. They also claim that illegal miners have diverted municipal services to their illicit workshops.
Residents took News24 on a tour of the township, leading to Nkanini informal settlement, which they claimed was where the zama zamas were living.
The majority of shacks in the informal settlement are made of wood. As it happens, forestry is one of the largest industries in Sabie.
Residents claim the illegal miners conduct some of their activities inside their shacks and at a nearby stream.
Inside some of the wooden structures, News24 saw equipment, including phendukas, a tool used to grind ore and other minerals.
Dirty and muddy clothing, especially work suits, were seen hanging from many makeshift fences – clothes believed to belong to illegal miners in Sabie, Mpumalanga.
Community leader Sbongakonke Nkosi said residents would not tire of fighting illegal mining in their township.
Nkosi said:
He claimed that residents had been conducting their own operations by confiscating illegal mining equipment. He said they would not stop until illegal miners vacated the township.
“We are not chasing them away. We want to live with them in a peaceful environment. We must all abide by the law. Since they started their illegal mining activities about five years ago, service delivery has been affected.
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“They have illegally connected electricity running to our homes and diverted it to their shacks. They have also unlawfully diverted water from the township to places where they conduct illegal mining.
“The police are not doing enough to end illegal mining. Should it be left to grow, as it is now, they will soon take over our homes, as we have seen in other parts. We have engaged our municipality, and there is no action,” Nkosi said.
“We have been without water for a few months. Our water is diverted to places where they produce [sic] gold. It is very difficult to run a business without water and electricity,” Mhlanga said.
He feared that if illegal mining continued, it would escalate.
“We need the municipality, home affairs and police intervention. We need to see serious operations conducted at Nkanini. We call for the strengthening of our local police station with manpower. We can’t allow this township to deteriorate,” said Mhlanga.
Huge Eskom debt
Thaba Chweu municipality spokesperson Themba Sibiya said they were concerned about illegal mining in Simile:
“Over 1 000 households in Simile are affected. The municipality is also losing revenue as a direct consequence, contributing to the escalating Eskom debt. In response, the municipality successfully ran several sting operations in collaboration with the police and private security companies. The recent operations were held in July and August 2022,” said Sibiya.
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“To date, a total of 40 people were arrested for contravention of the Immigration Act, possessing suspected gold-bearing soil or materials, and possessing illegal mining equipment.
“Most of those arrested are foreign nationals. The municipality and relevant law enforcement agencies will continue with the sting operations until the illicit mining activities are eradicated as they affect the sustainable delivery of services to the community,” Sibiya added.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, also said they had recently conducted operations and arrested illegal miners.
“Most of them were undocumented. They are from Mozambique and Zimbabwe. We will keep on arresting them. We will not be deterred from conducting our operations. Compared to other provinces, we are not severely affected in the country. Our affected regions are Nkangala, Gert Sibande, and Ehlanzeni.
“Illegal mining is a serious problem. It makes a huge dent in our economy. It also affects the tourism industry,” Mohlala said.
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