By Thapelo Molefe
Johannesburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene has blamed Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and his department for failing to act against illegal mining and abandoned mining sites, saying municipalities are being forced to deal with the resulting damage to roads and other infrastructure.
Kunene made the remarks on Monday during an oversight visit to infrastructure sites in Roodepoort, Witpoortjie and Selby that have been severely affected by illegal mining activities.
The oversight included visits to collapsed roads, sinkholes and illegal mining access points where Joburg Roads Agency officials, JMPD officers, SAPS members and private security personnel accompanied the MMC.
At one of the illegal mining sites in Roodepoort, Kunene and officials inspected holes allegedly being used by zama-zamas to access underground tunnels. During the operation, officials cut electricity cables and water pipes believed to be supplying illegal mining operations underground.
Bags containing soil suspected to contain gold-bearing material were also slit open and destroyed.
Officials further dismantled makeshift structures and shacks allegedly built by illegal miners around the entrances to underground tunnels.
Addressing the media during the oversight, Kunene said the city was struggling to repair infrastructure because municipal workers were allegedly being threatened by armed illegal miners.
“The Department of Minerals is refusing to work with us to resolve this problem,” Kunene said.
He said he had personally approached Mantashe about challenges in Davidsonville, where mine dumps and illegal mining activities have damaged roads and nearby homes.
“I spoke to Minister Gwede Mantashe about the challenges at Davidsonville,” Kunene said.
“I invited the department of minerals so that we can address that problem. They came, they looked and they left.”
Kunene said officials later informed the city that reports had been escalated to national government, but no action followed.
“They said they are waiting for national. National has said nothing,” he said.
Kunene said illegal miners were entering abandoned underground tunnels and removing support pillars left by mining companies, causing the ground above to collapse.
“That is how we get sinkholes in the city of Johannesburg,” he said.
Kunene said that rehabilitating abandoned mines falls under the responsibility of the minerals department, not municipalities.
“Mining companies pay rehabilitation funds so that when they are done mining, government can rehabilitate these areas,” he said.
“There’s not one mine in South Africa that has been rehabilitated by the department of minerals.”
He questioned what had happened to rehabilitation funds collected from mining companies over the years.
“Where does that money go to?” Kunene asked.
The MMC said Johannesburg was being forced to deal with infrastructure destruction caused by mining activity without adequate funding or support from national government.
“We are left with a problem of mining that is not a competency or a mandate of JRA,” he said.
Kunene also criticised successive minerals ministers for failing to deal decisively with illegal mining operations.
“Which minister of minerals has ever brought the army to come and assist municipalities and the citizens of South Africa?” he asked. “No minister of minerals has ever taken responsibility for what is happening here.”
During the oversight visit, officials pointed out cables allegedly powering underground operations and several holes believed to be used by illegal miners to move between tunnels.
Kunene said some areas had become too dangerous for municipal workers because illegal miners were armed.
“When JRA comes here to work, zama-zamas start shooting,” he said.
He called for military intervention to combat illegal mining, saying the South African National Defence Force should work alongside the South African Police Service and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.
“We need the army to come and meet them toe-to-toe,” Kunene said.
The MMC said Johannesburg needed around R100 billion to rehabilitate ageing road infrastructure, stormwater systems and bridges damaged by years of neglect and illegal mining activity.
“We need to reconstruct the whole road, start it afresh, use new technology so that we have 25 years of no potholes,” he said.
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