JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources says it is concerned about the scale of illegal coal mining at a derelict mine in Osizweni, outside Newcastle, in KwaZulu-Natal.
Committee chairperson Sahlulele Luzipo said during a meeting with entities of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) – including Mintek, the Council for Geoscience and the Mine Health Council – last week, that “holistic” interventions were needed to prevent illegal coal mining.
This after the committee had enquired about measures that had been put in place to deal with illegal coal mining in Osizweni and what further resources were needed.
Luzipo advised Mintek to build partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including the DMR, to combat illegal mining in the area.
“This practice is a serious problem in Osizweni, considering that these illegal miners are digging beneath one of the community schools and, in so doing, are putting the safety of learners and staff members at risk,” he commented.
The entities appeared before the committee to report on how they performed in the 2013/14 financial year.
Despite concerns over illegal mining, the committee was satisfied with the fact that all entities had achieved unqualified audits with findings in the 2013/14 financial year, but reiterated that more work still needed to be done to obtain unqualified audits with no findings.