The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

AfriForum has demanded urgent intervention from Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane, Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), following repeated armed confrontations between suspected illegal-mining groups in the Schoemanskloof area of Mpumalanga. The civil rights organisation has requested feedback from Dimpane regarding SAPS’s plans to regain control of this illegal-mining hotspot and dismantle the criminal networks operating there.

In August, six suspected illegal miners were found shot dead at Mashobote in the Ngodwana policing area. SAPS indicated that preliminary information pointed to rivalry between illegal-mining groups. Despite subsequent police operations in the area, another serious shooting incident occurred on 29 September followed by further heavy gunfire on 30 September. The bodies of alleged illegal miners have also been left next to roads in the area which resulted in temporary road closures in Schoemanskloof.

“This is no longer simply a group of people illegally mining for gold. We are dealing with organised groups who have access to automatic rifles and sufficient manpower and resources to engage in armed confrontations close to public roads, farms and communities. The possibility of innocent motorists or residents being caught in the crossfire cannot be underestimated,” says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s Chief Spokesperson for Community Safety.

AfriForum has submitted various questions to the Acting National Commissioner and is demanding clarity on, among other things, SAPS’s immediate operational response; progress with the murder investigations; the role of Crime Intelligence and the Hawks; and measures to protect motorists, farmers and surrounding communities.

AfriForum also wants to know whether police are investigating the wider criminal networks that make illegal mining possible, including the financiers, gold buyers, firearm suppliers and logistical networks behind the zama-zama operations.

“Periodic raids in which a few miners are arrested, and equipment is confiscated clearly do not provide a sustainable solution. If the organisers, financiers, buyers and firearm suppliers remain untouched, these groups simply reorganise and return. SAPS must attack the criminal enterprise behind illegal mining, not only the people found underground or at the mining sites,” Broodryk says.

AfriForum has further asked whether SAPS intends establishing a sustained operational presence in the area, whether a dedicated command structure or task team will be established and what measurable timeframes have been set for restoring effective law-enforcement control.

“The recovery of an AK-47 magazine and ammunition should set alarm bells ringing. SAPS must determine where these weapons are coming from, who is supplying them and whether they can be linked to other organised criminal activities. We cannot wait until an innocent motorist, resident, farmworker or police officer is killed before this threat receives the response it deserves,” Broodryk concludes.

Issued by AfriForum