Journalists’ three-hour wait at the Civic Centre while the Minister of Mineral Resources was meeting with other high-ranking delegates turned out to be worth their while.
A blue-light convoy of approximately 40 vehicles, which included those of the Minister and her entourage, SAPS, Immigration, JMPD and the press sped through the streets of Florida to the first destination off Main Reef Road.
As the group arrived among heavily armed policemen the first illegal miners were spotted a few hundred metres away and the police gave chase.
The miners abandoned their bakkie and fled into the bushes only to return arrogantly when everybody was busy leaving the site.
The minister expressed her shock about the fact that the mining was done so openly and that there was evidence that the miners actually lived on the site. (These activities take place not even 300 metres from the road.)
On the site was a water pump made out of plastic piping and driven by a generator, which the police confiscated. (Water is pumped from nearby houses.)
The press swamped the Minister after the inspection.
“I am shocked and was unaware of the situation,” said Shabangu.
“These activities rob the country of potential economic growth. The cost to Government according to a 2010 report estimated R6 billion lost to the country,” Shabangu continued.
During the conversation other consequences of illegal mining came to light. It contributes to 10 per cent of the country’s crime.
“What they are doing is criminal. Furthermore I am worried about the safety of these miners and the health of the women who use mercury in the grinding process,” Shabangu expressed her concern.
However, she warned that perpetrators who had been caught already have received sentences of ten years. She also admitted that syndicates are probably involved.
When asked by a journalist what the deadline is for solving the problem, she replied, “It’s like yesterday” but that it “would probably take a month. We can take control of our situation.”
At a second site in Matholesville residents blamed foreigners such as Zimbabweans and Mozambicans. Once the problem has been solved the land will be used for human habitation.
