Mchunu to present new approach to closing and rehabilitation of mines

An urgent meeting is expected to be held between the Crime Prevention and Security Cluster and the Department of Mineral Resources.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu wants to present a new approach to the closing and rehabilitating of mines that have existing licence holders. Mchunu was at a stakeholder engagement and progress report session in Stilfontein in North West.

The aim was to discuss possible ways to retrieve the unknown number of illegal miners still underground since the intensification of Operation Vala Umgodi.

Community leader Thembile Botman says, “Our government has a responsibility to hold accountable everyone that has mining rights in the closure, because that person must apply for closure, and there are rehabilitation funds that will be, you know, banked there to rehabilitate these mine. So this issue of today, it should not come as if it’s something that just came out of nowhere.”

During the engagement with various stakeholders in Stilfontein, Minister Mchunu committed to ensuring government reconfigures its existing strategies.

“It has been agreed that Minister Mantashe, in the next meeting of JCPS, which is regarded as urgent, must bring in the Minerals Council of South Africa. Two he must come and present on artisanal mechanisms that they are advanced in in terms of developing, if not completed. They must present a new approach in terms of closing mines by companies that are license holders currently. When they finish what they are doing, how must they close.”

Stilfontein Mine | Police Minister briefs the media: