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The Minerals Council South Africa and its members have increased their collaboration with the government’s security cluster in the fight against illegal mining and to protect their staff and assets from criminals to combat the scourge that is costing lives and billions of rands.
"The South African mining sector is facing an unprecedented crisis in crime. The threat to the mining industry, and the broader country, is very real, resulting in deaths of mine employees and illegal miners, closures of operations, and losses to the fiscus of billions of rands. It has reached unacceptable levels of outright, blatantly violent criminality," the council notes in a September 8 statement.
It adds that there is also large-scale, unregulated mining of virgin deposits in South Africa, depriving the State and its citizens of tens of billions of rands in export earnings, taxes and other benefits.
"These illegal operations have appalling safety and environmental records. The consequences of these illegal activities go beyond financial considerations.
"The negative impact of illegal mining activities on nearby communities is severe. It includes rape, murder, violence, intimidation, prostitution, child abuse, collusion in criminal activities, human trafficking, extortion and the degradation of quality of life and societal values.
"The deaths of mine employees, along with intimidation and corruption of mine staff, at the hands of these violent and heavily armed criminals, are unacceptable and they have devastating consequences for families and colleagues," it highlights.
The Minerals Council says it is more active than ever in participating in the government’s revitalised focus on illegal mining and crimes against formal mining companies.
"The Minerals Council strongly supports efforts by the security cluster to tackle illegal mining and associated crimes, with improved policing and intelligence-driven initiatives.
"However, the nature and scale of these criminal activities requires bold and decisive interventions. There is more that is urgently needed from the police, crime intelligence, justice and regulatory oversight to meaningfully address the problem," it says.
The council, therefore, reiterates its call for:
*the establishment of specialist well-resourced and dedicated mining police task force focused on mining-related crimes;
*urgent changes to the law to define illegal mining as a recognised criminal activity with strict penalties;
*improved crime intelligence to ensure the leaders of the criminal syndicates behind illegal mining are arrested and prosecuted;
*fresh engagement with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy about how to deal with 6 100 derelict and ownerless mines, as well as old mine dumps within the regulator’s remit in innovative ways to curtail criminal activities at these sites; and
*that government expedite the inclusion of artisanal and small-scale miners in the formal economy.
It clarifies that inclusion of artisanal and small-scale miners in the formal economy does not include legalising illegal miners, who are engaged in criminal activities. "There can be no formalisation or acceptance of criminal enterprises," it asserts.