Mashaba laments ‘lawless’ actions
MANY mothers worked as illegal miners and performed their tasks with their infants on their backs. This was one of many issues that infuriated Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba during site visits yesterday.
But residents of Matholesville on Randfontein Road, where a 200m trench had been dug for illegal mining, came out in their numbers during the site visit with some even saying, “go away, we want to continue working”.
According to some accounts, there were up to 3000 miners in the area.
Warrant Officer Danie Pieterse, SAPS operation commander of Roodepoort, said there were frequent fights over ownership of holes, causing the murder rate to escalate in the area.
Mashaba, city officials, stakeholders and public sector representatives-embarked on inspection visits to areas that pose a threat to roads infrastructure and public safety caused by vandalism and theft.
“As a proud South African, I can’t allow lawlessness to happen under my watch. It is affecting the future of our children. We have a strong responsibility to make sure they don’t inherit the broken South Africa we did. This visit must be an eye opener to take individual responsibility,” Mashaba said.
Provincial and local government officials needed to work together because illegal miners were posing a serious threat to the country, he said, emphasising that a solution needed to be found promptly.
The site visits included Main Reef and Nasrec roads, the M1 doubledecker section, FNB Stadium, Wemmerpan Road and Randfontein Road at Matholesville.
At Wemmerpan Road, about 20 illegal miners fled when seeing police escorting the mayoral convoy.
Motorways Depot manager Clive Gordon said people staying near highway bridges sold poles, cables, traffic lights and signage material to scrap yards. He said every time they removed the squatters, they would return and he feared that the fires they made to keep warm, posed a risk.
MMC for Transport councillor Nonhlanhla Makhuba said that five months into the 2017/2018 financial year, theft and vandalism had already cost the city R12.3 million to replace missing manhole covers, traffic poles, copper cables and road signage.
“Illegal dumping is a huge challenge and I appeal to everyone to fight this problem and report the matter to relevant authorities. National government is responsible for this. I’ll hold them accountable,” said Mashaba.