Johannesburg - Police Minister Bheki Cele has promised to resolve the matter of illegal miners who have made Riverlea and Zamimpilo informal settlement a war zone.
Cele, who visited Riverlea yesterday afternoon, said he would not allow the residents to be terrorised by illegal foreigners, adding that he would return to the area with a comprehensive plan to curb the shootings by illegal miners.
He said the Department of Mineral Resources would close the seven holes used by zama-zamas.
“Hold me on my word. We will change the situation. We will make sure that this community feels safe. We can’t allow the state to be terrorised by illegal miners who are illegal foreigners. We will not be terrorised by people who are undocumented. Our first task is to close down all these holes. You have given me a task to get the minister of human settlement to help with housing. Allow us to put a plan into action so that you do not live in fear any more,” Cele said.
This comes after the residents of Riverlea vowed to continue their protest against illegal mining until Cele and the government resolved the matter in the area.
They said they were living in constant fear due to regular gunfire and wanted the minister to protect them against the terror of illegal miners operating around Zamimpilo informal settlement, who have turned the area into a “war zone”.
Yesterday morning, angry and frustrated residents took to the streets and barricaded Main Reef Road with burning tyres and rocks, resulting in back-to-back traffic on the N1 highway and other routes. The residents were reacting to the alleged shooting between two rival illegal miner gangs, which resulted in the deaths of at least five people this past weekend.
Speaking to The Star, community activist Melanie Scheepers disputed the number of deaths reported by the police.
“The media are saying five people have died, but that is not true. As of Saturday, we know that more than eight people have died. How about five, then? We were also told that at least 20 people have died, and the number is being squashed. There were three minibuses that dropped off the zama-zamas. They alone took two bodies with them. So five is definitely not correct. These people were carrying rifles with them,” Scheepers said.
Another member of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said walking around the area of Riverlea had become a nightmare as warring zama-zamas shoot one another in broad daylight.
“The zama-zamas have made our lives a nightmare. This weekend, there was another shooting. Even last weekend, there was a shooting. The zamazamas shot another resident dead last week. This Saturday, they shot another lady in the head on the other side of Main Reef Road. The police have found five dead bodies due to this weekend’s shooting. Our houses are now damaged due to illegal mining activities,” the community member said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said that at the scene and during the investigation, police discovered five bodies with gunshot wounds.
He said preliminary police investigations suggest that two rival groups of illegal miners were shooting at each other in the area, and that led to the deaths of the five people.
“Police have deployed members from the Tactical Response Team and Public Order Policing to monitor the area. A case of murder, with five counts, has been opened,” Masondo said.
Resident Norman Mubarak called for the government to deploy the army.
“We want the army to be deployed so that they can come and get rid of the zama-zamas. We have been forced to live in fear due to their illegal activities, as most of the people who have settled in Zamimpilo informal settlement are illegal foreigners. We also want Home Affairs to come in and remove the foreign nationals and demolish Zamimpilo,” Mubarak said.
The Star