Illegal mining ruins river

The Illovo River is being raped, pillaged and killed.”

That’s the anguished cry from newly elected Toti Conservancy chairman, Laura Taylor, who took the Sun on a tour on Monday, 22 July to see the devastation sand mining is wreaking on the river.

“These sand miners block the river to mine the sand and the river is being killed by their actions,” said Laura, who lives in Lower Illovo and witnesses the extent of the mining on a daily basis. “It’s amazing they have the audacity to close the river. It’s unbelievable.”

Sand is mined from the river to be sold in hardward stores as building sand. Legal mining companies are conditioned to rehabilitate the area, as per their permits. However, illegal miners leave the devastation and just move onto the next stretch of river.

“This is such a beautiful river with prolific bird life. The miners clear the bush on the banks of the river and then invasive plants take over. Hundreds of dump trucks leave the area every day, full of river sand.”

Mining operations continue for kilometres upriver. Abandoned mining sites are not rehabilitated and miners simply move on to another area further upriver. In some parts the water has been forced to a trickle, just a few metres wide. Refuse and old tyres are discarded on the riverside.

The Sun and Toti Conservancy were fortunate to meet one of the legal miners during the tour. He was willing to answer queries on condition of anonymity. According to him, only three mining companies have legal permits to mine on the Illovo River. Dozens of others simply procure a Permission to Occupy permit from the local tribal authority and start to mine, without a mining permit.

The legal miner has opened a case of theft against one of the illegal miners who is mining on his designated site, but to date no policing of the river has taken place.

The three companies have formed an association that will meet with members of the Department of Mineral Resources to air their grievances.