MINING NEWS
He said they had witnessed police robbing the zama zamas as they emerged from the sha�s . Van der Linde claimed that , in December , as his officers tried to arrest 12 zama zamas , police opened re on them , allowing the miners to escape . “ �ey ran to the police car , loaded their bags in the vehicle , and ran away ,” he said . Van der Linde believes the latest killings could be linked to a rival gang trying to claim control of the area . He said the strength , in terms of weapons the gangs carried , was not to be underestimated . “ We have engaged these guys in some serious gun battles before .” Mining Affected Communities United in Action national co-ordinator Meshack Mbangula , who works closely with zama zamas and other small-scale miners throughout the country , said the syndicates attacked the miners as they emerged from the sha�s . “ �ese things didn ' t happen in the past , but with the involvement of police it has become worse . �e police would wait for the guys and rob them and sell off their gold .” Mbangula believes that criminal gangs cottoned on to what the police were doing and began running their own extortion rackets . “ We are seeing this gangsterism . With this gangsterism , they started the killings .” Gauteng police spokesman Colonel Lungelo Dlamini failed to answer questions over allegations that police were involved . “ Police have tasked a team of detectives to investigate the murders ,” he said . He said the motive for the killings was unknown and that none of the dead had been identi ed . Dlamini said all investigations into illegal mining were being conducted by the Hawks . Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said they were running numerous investigations into the operation of illegal mining syndicates “ looking at the involvement of all sorts of people , including police officers , in all sorts of crimes around illegal mining , including violence ”. “ �ese investigations are sensitive . �ere are several major operations under way .” In October Deputy Mineral Resources Minister Godfrey Oliphant told parliament 80 % of those involved in illicit mining came from neighbouring countries . “ A study estimates that about 10 % ( R7.3-billion for 2013 ) of gold production is stolen and smuggled out of the country annually . “ Illegal mining is largely fuelled by highly organised , dangerous , well- nanced and complex local and international crime syndicates which have up-to-date maps of mining operations .” Wits University ' s illegal mining expert , Robert �ornton , said a “ smorgasbord of international characters were involved in illicit mining , including Israelis , Chinese , Indians and Pakistanis ”.
FMDZ | Jan - Feb 2017 | Page07