The Hawks in Limpopo say 11 suspected illegal chrome miners who were arrested at Ga-Manyaka village outside Burgersfort are expected to appear at the Mecklenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Hawks spokesperson Matimba Maluleke says they confiscated eleven generators, seven jackhammers, and wheelbarrows, among other things. Maluleke says the arrested illegal miners, or so-called zama-zamas, aged between 19 and 37, are suspected to be foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have arrested 48 illegal miners in various mining communities in the Sekhukhune and Waterberg districts in Limpopo. Those arrested include 38 undocumented foreign nationals.
During the arrests, the law enforcement agencies confiscated mining equipment, including heavy-duty vehicles. Residents of the affected communities have called on police to deploy more resources to clamp down on illegal miners.
Law enforcement agencies arrested Zama Zamas in the mining communities in Apel, Atok, and Northam in the Sekhukhune and Waterberg districts in Limpopo respectively.
The Zama Zamas use sophisticated mining equipment to extract chrome, platinum, and more. Despite the arrests, the illegal miners have discovered evasive ways to return to the shafts. Some community members, however, accuse the law enforcement agencies of working together with illegal mining syndicates.
They also say that illegal mining has a devastating impact on their environment.
“Those pits are very dangerous in the community because as I am speaking to you, unfortunately, I can’t reveal the names of the kids who drown in the pits, we have been engaging the police for a while and the Department of Mineral Resources but nothing is happening regarding the illegal mining. We suspect they are involved as well in the illegal mining activities,” says one of the residents.
Source: SABC
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