The North West provincial government will deploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support the South African Police Service (SAPS) in combating illegal mining across the province, Premier Lazarus Mokgosi announced on Thursday.
Speaking during his State of the Province Address in Mahikeng, Mokgosi said the province’s economy is centred on mining and that illegal activities linked to it adversely affect the safety and security of communities.
“The economy of the province is, among others, centred on mining, and unfortunately with it comes illegal activities, which have an adverse impact on the safety and the security of the communities,” he told members of the provincial legislature and other invited guests.
Mokgosi identified communities, including Bapong, Mmasebudule and Tlhatlhaganyane, as areas affected by illegal mining.
He said the provincial government has confiscated machinery belonging to illegal miners in these areas and is awaiting a report from the police on ongoing interventions.
“We are in constant discussion with the minister of police; we will deal with this matter of illegal mining in the communities, and all of those who are perpetrators of this will be arrested,” he said.
More than 1 400 illegal miners were arrested in 2024 during Operation Matlosana. Mokgosi confirmed that the SANDF would be deployed “to capacitate the work of the South African Police Service in all the identified hotspots”.
Illegal miners, also known as zama zamas, have taken over abandoned, creating unstable underground tunnels that have posed risks to miners and nearby residents.
Law enforcement operations in Stilfontein and Orkney over the past year highlighted the scale of the problem, with hundreds of illegal miners arrested in both areas.
In Bapong, near Brits, recent reports show that communities have been grappling with widespread illegal mining activities.
Residents have described extensive unauthorised digging near homes and on farmland, raising safety concerns as deep pits appear close to residential properties and structures.
In the Tlhatlhaganyane area, near Sun City in the Moses Kotane Local Municipality, residents have been vocal about the impact of illegal mining on their community.
The residents in this village have identified inadequate mining regulation and the proliferation of unregulated digging as contributors to increased criminal activity.
They said some local mining activity occurred without proper permits, and that unauthorised operations affected land and local economic opportunities.
Mokgosi said the provincial government will continue its interventions. “We will be receiving the report from the police on this matter.”
In Mmasebudule, about 75km from Zeerust, residents report ongoing concerns about mining on private and communal land. The village, known for its chrome deposits, has seen trucks carrying raw chrome leave the area regularly.
The premier reiterated the government’s commitment to enforcement.
“Following our successful intervention in Matlosana, the South African National Defence Force will be deployed in this province to capacitate the work of the South African Police Service in all the identified hotspots.”
