https://www.miningweekly.com

Govt should be called to account for turning blind eye to illegal infiltration of operating mines

8th September 2017

By: Martin Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

     

Font size: - +

The private sector has done well to secure legal leverage over the errant Mineral Resources Ministry, which has painted itself into a corner by trying to impose the unwork- able Mining Charter III and the ill-fated freeze on the transfer of mineral rights ownership.

The legal leverage that is gaining momentum in private sector ranks should now be extended to the highly dangerous infiltration of operating mines with the connivance of company employees.

It is astounding that Sibanye-Stillwater has had to arrest 665 illegal miners at its Cooke gold mine, on the West Rand, and suspend 123 of its own employees for aiding and abetting them.

One wonders about the extent to which the illegal mining at Cooke has contributed to the need to now close the operation.

Also, it is far more than the theft of precious mined product at infiltrated mines. Involved, too, is major damage to infrastructure, in the form of the theft of copper cabling, equipment, diesel and what have you.

The absence of a firm policy against illegal mining will recoil on the South African government.

Tax and royalty revenue that would normally find its way into the fiscus is not doing so because of the absence of law enforcement.

Mining companies are also having to fork our large sums of money on security capacity that the State should be providing.

Safety is also quickly thrown out by illegal miners and we have seen the death of many at abandoned mines, in particular.

The dereliction of duty by government should be punished through the application of the legal leverage already on the ascendancy.

The South African government needs to take a leaf out of Ghana’s book, which this time last year had illegal miners scattered across the length and breadth of its.

At that pre-election stage, the government of the day wanted to be popular and allowed the widespread illegal takeover of mines.

But that government was thrown out of office, which should be a warning to all governments that pander to plunderers in the hope of winning votes.

The Ghanaian government that pandered in this way lost the elections and the new incoming government in Ghana has taken strong steps to eradicate illegal mining and companies operating in the West African country are reporting the complete absence of illegal miners in areas once beset with them.

The same should be done in South Africa so that an end can be put to the erosion of already thin margins.

Failure to nurture mining, which continues to be the core that defines the South African economy 130 years after mining started in these parts, is grossly unpatriotic and those deliberately damaging our national patrimony should be made to face the full might of the law – and that includes the local regulator.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION