A joint meeting between the portfolio committees on Police; Mineral and Petroleum Resources; Home Affairs; and Forestry, Fisheries and Environment has raised concern that the South African Police Service (SAPS) does not have training courses available specifically designed and developed to equip members in addressing illegal mining.
“It is unacceptable that an emerging crime trend, such as illegal mining, does not have tailored training courses to tackle the scourge. This is more alarming in the context of the socio-economic impact of illegal mining in the country,” said Ian Cameron, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police.
The committees met to consider a petition from M Clarke, MP, on behalf of residents, calling for the urgent implementation of an action plan to address illegal mining in Ward 92, City of Ekurhuleni, in Gauteng. The committees acknowledged the successes achieved through Operation Vala Umgodi and the arrests achieved. But the impact has not been far-reaching, and the scourge continues to affect communities.
While the committees acknowledged that illegal mining is not primarily a police challenge, they highlighted that a multidisciplinary approach should be enhanced. This will include the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, to ensure mining houses are held accountable for decommissioned mines and the rehabilitation of unused mines. The Department of Home Affairs should ensure adherence to immigration laws and ensure tighter border control while the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment should ensure adherence to South Africa’s environmental laws.
The committees further called for a shift in focus towards dismantling the criminal syndicates that lie behind illegal mining by targeting the kingpins orchestrating these operations. “Focusing only on foot soldiers will not yield long-term results, particularly given high unemployment and poverty, which make it easy to recruit desperate workers,” the committees noted.
In addition, the committees stressed the importance of cross-border collaboration between local law enforcement and their regional counterparts to facilitate intelligence sharing, joint planning and disruptive operations across national borders. Furthermore, the committees encouraged the SAPS to work with good private security companies and the South African National Defence Force as a force multiplier to supplement SAPS’ thin resources.
The committees also reiterated the need to enhance the resourcing of all departments involved, to ensure they are capacitated to respond effectively to illegal mining and related crimes.
As part of the response to the petition, each committee will direct formal questions to relevant departments. The responses will be compiled into a comprehensive report, which will be tabled in the National Assembly for further consideration and action.
