Illegal mining and unregulated mines around Ermelo pose risks
These sites have also claimed the lives of illegal artisanal miners, livestock, and even children.
ERMELO – The landscape of the town, once characterised by its flat Highveld terrain, has been drastically altered by mining activities, resulting in artificial mountains and dangerous water-filled pits that have in the past claimed the lives of children and livestock.
Even after some mining operations in town have ceased, the area still attracts zama zamas, also known as illegal artisanal miners, who search for leftover coal.
This has been reported on in numerous editions of Highvelder.
While many of these sites have not seen activity for years, they are still classified as operational by South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), which publishes an annual list of active mines.
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Under South African law, companies that seek to open a mine must secure sufficient financial provisions for rehabilitation, and upon ceasing operations, they must apply for a closure certificate.
This process includes requirements such as treating polluted water and restoring the land to its former state as much as possible.
These abandoned and unrehabilitated mining pits pose major risks.
Despite the aforementioned regulations, Highvelder has reported numerous drowning incidents linked to unrehabilitated mines.
In 2016, two young boys drowned at the abandoned Imbabala Mine.
Furthermore, these sites have also claimed the lives of illegal artisanal miners; a body was recovered from an abandoned mining shaft behind the Ermelo Country Club on November 2, 2022.
In response to illegal mining activities, the National Intervention Police Unit, along with local stakeholders, conducted an operation on October 13, 2022, arresting 271 men for illegal mining in Ermelo.
Highvelder also recently published an article about an incident on August 24, when a boy, his 22-year-old brother and a 13-year-old friend were riding their motorbikes near the mining grounds at Douglas Dam.
Despite the significant risks posed by these mines, unregulated activities seem to persist unchecked, with little to no intervention from the relevant authorities.
Read the complete article in Highvelder.
