Seven suspected illegal miners were arrested on Saturday in Driekop outside Burgersfort, Limpopo. Police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo says they also confiscated several mining equipments including 17 generators and electric cables.
The suspects are facing a charge of illegal mining. According to Mojapelo, six of the seven suspects are in the country illegally and they will also be charged with breaching the Immigration Act.
Chrome mining
“The police in Driekop outside Burgersfort have arrested seven suspected illegal miners and confiscated mining equipment during an operation against illegal mining activities. Members of the established illegal mining task team pounced on a group of people busy mining chrome at Mooihoek mountains and cornered the suspects. The suspects include one South African and six foreign nationals,” Mojapelo adds.
#sapsLIM A total of 7 suspected illegal miners aged between 18 and 36 were arrested in Driekop policing area under Sekhukhune District during ongoing police ops that were conducted in the early hours of Saturday, 14/01. #IllegalMining MEhttps://t.co/Efbyru4qwc pic.twitter.com/fLnYWILIWm
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) January 15, 2023
The suspects will appear in the Mecklenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Issuing of licences
Meanwhile, residents of the Ga-Maroga village near Burgersfort, Limpopo, have called on the government to consider issuing them with licences for small-scale mining. They say they would like to start mining chrome legally.
Incidents of illegal mining are rife in the Sekhukhune area. Eight suspected illegal miners recently died after being trapped underground in the village.
Some of the residents say they have no option but to resort to illegal mining.
“I’m truly saddened about how government is approaching the illegal mining issue, if you can check around our community we have about eighty percent population of the youth that isn’t working so we try by all means to hustle and the only hustle we have in our community is illegal mining if they can legalise the factor itself I think it will benefit a whole lot.”
