The Star reports that illegal miners are accused of having damaged a road in Roodepoort so badly that the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) was forced to close it as it was posing a serious risk to motorists.  

The City of Johannesburg said holes dug by the illegal miners on Iridium Street, between Randfontein Road and Penny Road, had resulted in water accumulating in them when it rained, which had undermined the pavement structure of the road.  Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba said despite the road being old, illegal mining activities in the vicinity had contributed immensely to its deterioration.  He claimed the road would have collapsed had they not acted quickly to close it.  The closure will be in force until June 2020 pending repairs.  Mashaba warned that illegal mining activity posed a serious threat as it happened near pipelines carrying gas and fuel and also threatened the safety of city employees working along pipelines.  He also said the activities brought contamination risks to the city’s water supply.

• Read the full original of Botho Molosankwe’s report on the above story at The Star

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page