Two illegal miners killed in N Cape
TWO ILLEGAL diamond miners have been killed in Kleinzee in the Northern Cape in the early hours of yesterday morning after a tunnel in which they were mining caved in on them.
The two miners, aged 24 and 29, were declared dead on arrival at the Komaggas Clinic shortly after they were retrieved from the tunnel at around 3.30am yesterday morning.
According to police spokesperson, Captain Sergio Kock, a third miner, aged 21, who was also inside the tunnel when it collapsed, was admitted to the Port Nolloth Hospital where he was receiving medical treatment.
Kock added that the Kleinzee SAPS was investigating an inquest into the deaths of the two male miners and that the incident occurred close to the Kleinzee Traffic Testing Grounds.
He requested anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Detective Constable John Vorster on 079 529 3935.
The DA in the Northern Cape said yesterday that it was “saddened by the deaths of the two miners who were killed at an illegal mining operation after the makeshift tunnel in which they were mining caved in on them”.
DA provincial leader,
Andrew Louw, said that the party had earlier this year warned of an impending tragedy due the surge in illegal diamond mining in Namaqualand.
“Just a week ago, the
DA wrote to Provincial
Police Commissioner,
Lieutenant-General Risimati Shivuri, asking him to address the safety issues relating to the illegal mining.
“This is a process that has continued unabated, despite having come under the spotlight more than six years ago, after the Bontekoe mining tragedy that killed 10 people when an illicit tunnel collapsed on illegal diggers at Kleinzee.
“While the DA does not condone criminality, we also cannot allow unnecessary deaths to occur unabated in the illegal mining industry.
“Years of inefficient regulation of the mining industry, and in turn retrenchments and mine closures, have ultimately left a tragic legacy of unemployment in Namaqualand, exacerbating the illegal diamond mining industry.”
Parked
Louw added that at any given time at least 50 cars were parked next to the mining area, with approximately 80 to 100 people actively digging there.
“At times, there is a further increase in activity and between 300 to 400 people can be found mining there.”
Louw stated that some diggers excavated shallow pits in disused mining areas, while others took greater risks and dug unsafe tunnels beneath the walls of old mine pits, retrieving sacks of gravel to sieve and rinse.
He added that much of the illegal digging took place at night, which increased the danger.
“The DA will send an urgent follow-up letter to Shivuri, calling for urgent intervention, including the deployment of additional police to patrol the area and to enforce the law.
“We will also reiterate our call to Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe to stop turning a blind eye to the Namaqualand crisis and convene an urgent meeting with all stakeholders, including land owners, legal miners, illegal diamond miners and the police.
“The fact of the matter is that illegal diamond mining exists. Government and the authorities need to plot a way forward that will not only secure the safety of communities, the police and the miners but also find a way to curb illegal diamond mining and instead harness the potential of legal artisanal diamond mining,” Louw concluded.