Illegal miners in Kimberley are excited over a new deal struck with mining companies in the city, which allows them to mine legally without threats of trespassing.
Kimberley Ekapa Mining Joint Venture (KEM-JV) has given the small scale miners permission to continue mining for diamond residue on land owned and previously used by mines.
They are not allowed to go inside currently operating mines, but they’re content with the go-ahead to mine on at least one thousand hectares of mining dumps.
Chairperson of the Kimberley Artisan Miners, Lucky Seekoei says, “This initiative is the initiative of the people because the residues were actually abandoned by the mines for centuries and houses were built on top of these residues. There is a program whereby mines should assist small miners and now people will not threaten the mine, because they have the floss, the mine will keep their dump the people will keep their floss.”
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