Illegal mining on the rise
Various factors contribute to the amount of illegal miners in South Africa.
South Africa’s high unemployment rate and the influx of illegal immigrants have been cited as some of the factors contributing to increased activities of illegal mining.
Mining analyst Peter Major said close to 400,000 skilled gold miners have been retrenched and hundreds of mines abandoned since the dawn of democracy, creating a fertile ground for illegal mining.
“You have all these abandoned mines and you probably have more foreign, desperate people in the country than we have ever had. All those factors together are leading to this huge increase in illegal mining,” says Major.
In Zamimpillo Informal Settlement, residents are concerned of the land because of the illegal mining in the area.
Nomsa Sesi a resident said: “I am worried about this land we living on because we are approaching the rainy season and we already have some areas where the land is starting to disintegrating.”
Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi has vowed to implement measures to eradicate illegal mining.
