Police have dismissed claims on social media that heavily armed zama zamas are roaming Bapong in North West, revealing that the men in viral photos are legitimate private security guards hired by the local tribal authority.
Senior police officials visited Bapong on Thursday after allegations of heavily armed zama zamas guarding illegal mining activity sites.
Chairperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) and national deputy police commissioner Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili dismissed the posts as misleading and false.
“Those private security officials that you see in those pictures are actually valid security officials with valid psira accreditation. They have been appointed by Bapo Ba Mogale to assist in stopping the illegal mining activities that have already led to loss of lives,” she said.
Mosikili added that acting provincial commissioner Maj-Gen Patrick Asaneng had had previous engagements with the Bapo Ba Mogale tribal council as well as the administrator, where the legal requirements relating to mining were discussed.
“Emanating from a series of these meetings and engagements, it was resolved that the government, through the relevant departments, will continue to engage the tribal council on challenges they are facing relating to illegal mining activities,” she said.
Mosikili said on October 30, the tribal council led by Kgosi Henry Mogale had apprised the SAPS that it would lead from the front by preventing ongoing illegal mining activities.
The tribal council had indicated it would be appointing a private security company to assist with fighting the illegal mining activities.
She said on their fact-finding mission, they discovered that where illegal mining activities were taking place, homes were caving in.
“There are no longer roads and they are even digging next to the graveyards. This is really posing a safety and security threat to our communities’ livelihoods.”
Mosikili said communities were concerned that their lives were at risk.
“Issues of illegal mining activities are quite complex and dangerous in nature because these are often undocumented, and heavily armed criminals, but we have managed to put a stop to these ongoing activities across the country,” she said.
According to Mosikili, in the past 24 hours, three illegal miners were arrested and police seized 10 excavators and other illegal mining machinery.
She said since its inception, Operation Vala Umgodi has led to more than 30,000 arrests with more than 4,000 illegal and unlicensed firearms including high calibre firearms seized thus far.
Police have also seized thousands of explosives and other illegal mining equipment.
“This latest discovery does indicate that we ought to intensify our operations. We are engaging the departments of minerals resources and other relevant departments such as the department of forestry, fishery and environmental affairs to assist us in this regard as well as the department of employment and labour,” she said.
TimesLIVE
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