Political parties have raised concern over the government’s failure to establish a specialized police unit to tackle illegal mining in the country.
This comes on the back of a deadly gas leak at Boksburg’s Angelo Informal Settlement that killed at least 17 people.
It is believed that the gas leak was caused by zama zamas who were trying to refine illegally mined gold.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has joined calls for the government to strengthen the police’s capacity to address the rising rate of illegal mining in the country.
The party said it feels the government is not doing enough to protect communities from the effects of illegal mining.
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) representative on Parliament’s Mineral Resources Portfolio Committee, James Lorimer, echoed these sentiments, saying the establishment of a specialized unit could solve the issues of illegal mining.
“The government’s answer has been that the current policing structures can take care of the situation and the latest tragedy proves that they can’t.”
Residents of the Angelo Informal Settlement said the long-standing issues of zama zamas needs to be addressed with urgency.
-EWN
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