Since 2019, the News has been highlighting the growing problem of illegal mining on the West Rand. This problem now also seemed to have spiked in the Kromdraai area.
The News visited two different sites where illegal miners have been said to operate, and also spoke to residents in the area who requested to remain anonymous.
Near the quarry close to the R563, one resident told the News about the experiences he has had with illegal miners. He said he hears people talking in the early morning hours, has seen them sleeping in the bushes near the quarry, and has noticed more people and cars coming and going recently.
A few weeks ago, he encountered an illegal miner in a shop. The man was wearing new overalls and old, dirty boots. He was buying a lot of airtime and when he saw the man again outside the shop, he noticed the firearm he had on him.
Close to a clinic in the area is the old Kromdraai Mine, and a local activist showed News journalist, Natasha Pretorius, illegal miners at work visible from the clinic.
A property owner whose property borders the mine also has had many encounters with the miners, and said they mine no more than 100m from his home.
He said they regularly cut his fence and move around freely on his property. A few years back three bodies were found there, and he believes they have been active in that area for almost six years.
When asked if they reported these incidents, the residents said sometimes, when they try to reach the police by phone, their attempts are in vain. On other occasions, the police promise to send someone out, but nothing happens.
The News sent an query to Muldersdrift Police spokesperson Sergeant Mulalo Ndou, to find out whether the police were aware of the illegal miners, and what was being done to combat these crimes.
The News have received numerous statements about illegal mining operations in the past and have even joined the West Rand District Police during their Okae Moloa operations when the police specifically targeted illegal mining in the West Village and Kagiso areas.
They also put up roadblocks in the Muldersdrift and Kromdraai areas. The News asked why illegal mining had never been targeted in the Kromdraai area during these operations.
The enquiry to the police was sent on August 6 and no feedback was received by August 18.
A local security company that has worked at other illegal mining sites on the West Rand told the News they have also been keeping an eye out for illegal mining in Kromdraai, and even shared some of the videos and photos of illegal miners they had come across in the past.
