Illegal miners at Kleinsee in the Namaqualand want mining permits to mine the diamond-rich land but this can only be granted by government
The miners work undercover in the darkness where they mine diamonds, risking arrest.
Kleinsee was once a booming mining town owned by De Beers. The company abandoned the mine in 2012 saying it was too expensive to continue mining.
For 12 years Shane Bennett has been digging illegally for diamonds at various mines in the Namaqualand. He knows first-hand the dangers of his craft; he is a survivor of the Bontekoe mine tragedy where 12 illegal miners lost their lives.
Illegal miner Shane Bennett says he does this for his wife and children to put bread on the table.
The permits granted to former Zama Zama’s in Kimberley earlier this year has brought hope to residents of Kleinsee. They’re hoping that they too can get permits, to mine legally and put bread on the table.
Illegal Miner Venita Cloete says they will start a company and have groups of ten miners at a time. Mary van Wyk, who is an illegal miner, says she’s a pensioner and has to dig to support her people.
The residents say they’ve started the process to attain permits but they face tough questions on safety.
Deputy Mineral Resource Minister Godfrey Oliphant says, “What we are doing as the Department of Minerals is to legalise where it is safe. We’ve avoided underground mining because of its dangers.”
However, the miners say their operations are safe, but they want to do it during the day without breaking the law.
Illegal miners are hoping government meets them halfway.
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