{"id":93562,"date":"2024-11-26T14:42:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T12:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=93562"},"modified":"2024-11-27T13:16:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T11:16:57","slug":"illegal-mining-crisis-in-northwest-complex-challenges-persist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/illegal-mining-crisis-in-northwest-complex-challenges-persist\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Mining Crisis in Northwest: Complex Challenges Persist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

3-minute read
\n26 November 2024 | 14:43 CAT<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Standoff: Zama zamas mining at abandoned sites exacerbates environmental harm and causes security issues. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy<\/p><\/div>\n

Fourteen additional illegal miners emerged this week from the derelict Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein, Northwest Province. This development follows weeks of police operations\u00a0under Operation<\/em><\/span>\u00a0Vala Umgodi<\/em>, which has led to over 1,000 arrests of so-called zama-zamas<\/em> (illegal miners).<\/p>\n

However, many of those arrested have been released, a point highlighted by Giwusa\u2019s Mametlwe Sebei. \u201cAlmost all miners taken to the police station were released as of last week,\u201d Sebei explained in an interview with Radio Islam International<\/a>. He attributed this to the difficulty of legally charging individuals working in abandoned mines.<\/p>\n

Sebei argued that these miners are victims of systemic neglect, scavenging for gold discarded by profit-driven corporations. He elaborated: \u201cWhen a mine is derelict and ownerless, it\u2019s not legally viable to charge someone with trespassing. These miners are driven underground by poverty, starvation, and the need to survive.\u201d He emphasized the dire conditions of communities surrounding the 6,100 abandoned mines across South Africa, describing them as plagued by \u201cpoverty, squalor, degradation, and hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation also touched on a recent ruling by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, which dismissed an urgent application by the Society for the Protection of Our Constitution. The application challenged government inaction, claiming that affected families were deprived of food and support.<\/p>\n

Sebei criticized the court case, noting its disconnect from community realities. \u201cAt the time of the court\u2019s second hearing, the government had already started providing food, water, and medication due to community protests and public pressure,\u201d he said. The court dismissed the application based on factual inaccuracies, not on addressing miners\u2019 plight.<\/p>\n

Sebei expressed concern over police misinterpreting the court\u2019s decision as a reason to halt rescue efforts for trapped miners. He warned that delays and inaction could result in preventable deaths.<\/p>\n

The mining crisis highlights the urgent need for sustainable solutions to address abandoned mines and the socio-economic conditions forcing individuals into this hazardous work.<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Mametlwe Sebei here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 26 November 2024 | 14:43 CAT Fourteen additional illegal miners emerged this week from the derelict Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein, Northwest Province. This development follows weeks of police operations\u00a0under Operation\u00a0Vala Umgodi, which has led to over 1,000 arrests of so-called zama-zamas (illegal miners). However, many of those arrested […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":93563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Zama_Zama_1332_DV-1-1000x668-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C668&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-ol4","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-13 21:55:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}