Mining Crisis Is 'Opportunity'

If It's Formalised, Govt Can Buy Gold And Shut Out Mafia Syndicates - Experts

- Masoka Dube

» Call to implement Artisanal Mining Policy.

If the government is serious about addressing illegal mining and its accompanying organised crime mafia, it must legalise artisanal mining and transform abandoned mines into economic development facilities.

This is the view of mining expert David van Wyk, who says that if the mines are legalised, then government can buy the gold they produce, instead of it going onto the black market for gold, which is run by criminal syndicates involved in other crimes which harm society.

Van Wyk, who is lead researcher at the Bench Marks Foundation, said even though the gold at the abandoned mines was not viable for large-scale industrial mining, it was viable for low-cost artisanal and small-scale mining. This means the government can legally buy it from them.

"The government should create a central buying agency to purchase the gold from Zama Zamas, thereby cutting out the syndicates," said Van Wyk.

This week, authorities rescued 246 illegal miners who were trapped inside disused mineshafts at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, North West.

A rescue team, which was engaged by the government after it was compelled by the High Court in Johannesburg to act, also retrieved 84 bodies.

Those who resurfaced this week bring the number of zama zamas involved to 2,000, just 26 of them are South Africans.

Van Wyk said most of the mines have a lot of useful infrastructure and technologies already.

"Things like workshops, health, training, transport, housing, sport and recreation facilities. So the investment would be minimal."