The government is working towards the rehabilitation of derelict and ownerless mines, alternatively ensuring they are properly shut to curb illegal mining syndicates.
Mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe told a South African Human Rights Commission inquiry into the sector that operations by zama zamas should not be conflated with artisanal and small-scale mining.
Since 2022, the government has been working to counter illegal mining due to it being part of broader organised economic crimes, he said.
“It is often linked to serious offences, including illicit financial flows, extreme violence, human trafficking, gender-based violence and femicide, as well as the smuggling of weapons and explosives. “Artisanal and small-scale mining, by contrast, is a legitimate and formalised economic activity, usually undertaken by citizens or legally documented residents, within a regulated framework.”
Illegal mining was once largely confined to derelict and ownerless mines, but Mantashe said it is now increasingly encroaching on operational and licensed mines, posing serious risks to safety, security, and economic stability.
This was made possible by an additional funding of R180m allocated to the programme in the previous financial year. For the current financial year, a further R134.7m was transferred to Mintek to continue this important work
— Gwede Mantashe, Mineral and petroleum resources minister
When the department tabled its budget vote last year, it reported that 280 mine openings had been safely closed and four asbestos mines in Limpopo and the Northern Cape had been rehabilitated.
“This was made possible by an additional funding of R180m allocated to the programme in the previous financial year. For the current financial year, a further R134.7m was transferred to Mintek to continue this important work,” said Mantashe.
“The annual number of mines to be rehabilitated is dictated by the annual budget allocation received from the National Treasury.”
On law enforcement, Mantashe said measurable progress was being made in disrupting illegal mining networks. “However, challenges remain. Many offenders are released due to weaknesses in the existing legal framework.”
He proposed the establishment of a specialised police unit and stronger legislative provisions.
The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act is being reviewed with a view to formalising artisanal and small-scale mining while prohibiting illegal mining and the trade of minerals without prescribed documentation. Mantashe did not provide a timeframe on that process.
TimesLIVE
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