Illegal mining still continues even after arrests

Victoria Makgoo

GaMakgopa and GaPhasha are the villages in Fetakgomo-Tubatse where the illegal mining is happening always.

 

On Tuesday the 10th October 2023, police arrested 8 suspect who allegedly involved in illegal mining and they appeared at Mecklenburg court the following day.

 

The police found hummers, generators and spades but other suspect ran away.

 

One of the suspect who managed to run away when police were chasing them said that they gave them three months to  operate then after they will have to close their operation site. A child drowned in the hole filled with rain water and the hole was caused by illegal mining 3 years ago.

 

The illigal mining activities can lead to enviromental degradation, including deforestation,soil erosion and water pollution. Environmental effects of mining can occur at local,regional and global scale though direct and intersect mining practices.

 

However can we stop illegal mining around our community? ‘No’, beause we don’t have that power as a community but we need those voices, to unite and say no to illegal mining. We are only few people who are against illegal mining because other people benefit from it.

 

Illegal miners are dangerous because they sometimes fight and kill each other. They are working with police and powerful people who can kill you and the next morning they act as if nothing happened. They have dangerous weapons and we as community we are scared of them. This make it difficult for the communities to report them at police stations, you can try only to find out that the same person you report to is their partner and this put lives of the people in danger. We just watch the trucks loading and leaving with the minerals but we don’t have power.

 

The problem is the police arrest illegal miners but the bosses hire other illegal miners afterwards, this means that illegal mining will never stop because no matter how many people are arrested there are still thousands of people who are looking for jobs and they will not say no if they were given that chance to do illegal mining.

 

Solution: Police should camp at all the areas where there is illegal mining, arrest the illegal miners and force them tell who their bosses are. Those who have partners with the illegal miners should be arrested too so that people can live safely and in peace in their community.