Illegal chrome mining has become a major problem in the mineral-rich Burgersfort area in Limpopo, where many locals and communities are involved in the illicit activity. Despite the dangers and environmental impacts of illegal mining, many people resort to it as a means of survival, due to poverty and unemployment.
According to SABC News, illegal chrome mining in the Fetakgomo-Tubatse municipal area has boomed over the last couple of years, with big mining houses and locals competing for the area’s rich chrome deposits. The police and the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources have been conducting operations to clamp down on illegal mining, but the zama-zamas (illegal miners) continue to dig for chrome in the bush, using picks and shovels.
Some of the illegal miners are women who have been retrenched from the local mines or who have no other source of income. They sell the chrome ore on the black market, sometimes for as little as R50 per wheelbarrow. They say they have no choice but to mine illegally, as they have to feed their families and there are no jobs available.
Illegal mining poses serious risks to the illegal miners themselves, as well as to the environment and the communities. Illegal miners often work in unsafe and unregulated conditions, without proper equipment or protective gear. They are exposed to hazards such as rock falls, explosions, toxic gases, and violence. In 2019, a woman died when rocks collapsed on her while she was digging for chrome.
Illegal mining also causes environmental degradation and pollution, as the illegal miners leave behind huge holes and trenches that are not rehabilitated. The mining activities also affect the water quality and availability, as well as the biodiversity and ecosystems of the area.
The issue of illegal mining in Burgersfort has raised questions about the role and responsibility of the government and the mining industry in addressing the socio-economic challenges and the environmental impacts of mining. Some organisations and residents have called for the government to legalise and regulate the illegal miners, and to ensure that the communities benefit from the mineral wealth of the land. Others have urged the government and the mining companies to create more job opportunities and development projects for the locals, and to enforce the laws and regulations against illegal mining.
