The Chair of Chairs in the City of Joburg, Cllr Lloyd Phillips, the City of Joburg’s Ombudsman Advocate Sduduzo Gumede and officials conducted an oversight visit at George Harrison Park, which is an illegal mining site.
The aim of the oversight visit on Friday, 17 March 2023, was to get insight of the community challenges due to unrehabilitated mining dumps and illegal mining which is rife in the area, posing threat to life of the residents residing around to these illegal mining.
Community Forum members identified two other illegal mining sites, one of them being close to a public school, TC Esterhuysen Primary along Main Reef Road in Langlaagte.
A teacher from this school, Joel Mohale, said since 2014 the school has been trying to stop illegal mining. He, however, welcomed another opportunity from the City leadership to assist in the matter as previous attempts did not materialise.
“We are dealing with more than a thousand leaners and it is not fair for the children coming to school to see the dead bodies of zama-zamas when they chase each other, shooting during school break. They use very powerful firearms that even our SAPS acknowledge they cannot match.
“We also experience a lot of toxic dust that worsens during windy months. Having been a teacher here for more than two decades, I’ve been diagnosed with a disease resulting from this environment. It is so sad for parents to send their children to this school,” said Mohale.
He believes with the rehabilitation and planting of trees the toxic dust can be less. He suggested that the space could be used for sporting facilities.
This community said the closure of illegal mining shafts in Krugersdorp last year resulted in hundreds of those illegal miners relocating to the Riverlea mining shaft. They called for the government to put budget aside to close and rehabilitate mining shafts.
“Every day without fail, we hear riffle sounds for at least two hours around 8pm. Our children witness dead bodies of locals or zama-zamas almost every week. The shootings happen any hour of the day. We always live in fear,” said Ishmael van Wyk, one of the Riverlea Community Forum members.
Advocate Gumede said his office will be a stakeholder in the conversation on this matter together with other roleplayers where ultimately it will be in their hands to guide for solution as they are the last office of complaints.
“As the City we are concerned about lives and the effect of environmental impact especially to children. We are going to need you as the Community Forum to work with us going forward. We also intend to give feedback to the community together with your ward councillor,” said Cllr Phillips.
Written by Thembelihle Radebe
20/03/2023