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TimesLIVELive reports that Department of Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has issued a warning to Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua), urging it not to overlook the criminal aspects of illegal mining while prioritising the rescue of miners underground.
This as the government embarks on a rescue operation at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, where 109 bodies were discovered in shafts 10 and 11. Macua has consistently advocated for the right to life of the trapped miners and for government assistance in providing relief. Mantashe said the NGO should be careful not to promote criminality. “One of the things that surprises me in SA is when South Africans place human rights at the centre of criminal activities. That worries me, because it suggests that we are preaching tolerance for criminality. Macua should be careful not to promote criminality and to say we must protect criminality against justice and fairness,” Mantashe said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika. He highlighted the significant economic impact of illegal mining, estimating that it resulted in a loss of R60bn in 2024. “That is a significant leakage from the value of the economy, and therefore we cannot be merciful in dealing with that criminal activity. We must address it as a crime and acknowledge that the people underground entered voluntarily into a risky situation,” Mantashe pointed out. More than 1,500 illegal miners have resurfaced, with some still trapped underground. .
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Innocentia Nkadimeng at BusinessLive
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