Gauteng Premier David Makhura has called on the armed branches of the state to deal with the illegal miners in the country.
“We need the armed response of our state. We need to organise all the security capacity of our democratic state to respond in a way we have not done before. Our country is ungovernable. The criminals have taken over.”
Makhura was addressing Kagiso residents in Johannesburg on Sunday in the second imbizo gathering by police minister Bheki Cele and national commissioner General Sehlahle Fannie Masemola and other officials.
Speaking at the mass meeting in Krugersdorp west of Johannesburg, Premier David Makhura said the issue of illegal mining is “an issue of national security”.
“The Hawks, the Special Task Force, the National Intervention Unit, the Tactical Response Team, they will all be back here tomorrow,” Makhura said
“I myself will be back to deal with this on the 11th when we will go door-to-door and do inspections. I will be back here with the revenue service and home affairs,” he added.
Makhura raised concern about the safety and security of the people of Gauteng. “Illegal miners, the zama zamas are contributors of huge violent crime in our country right now. They have moved beyond the operations.
“They are stripping electricity infrastructure. They are interfering with underground infrastructure. The security of the state is at risk.”
Meanwhile, Tommy Makhode, the Home Affairs Director General said the department is working closely with neighbouring countries in arranging for the undocumented foreign nationals to be deported.
“We can report here that we now are able to deport all of them. On Thursday we met with the permanent secretary from Lesotho and we have now agreed on a system in terms of how we can push a lot of these deportations to Lesotho and other areas. We’ve already started,” Makhode said.
Source: News24, Eyewitness News, The Citizen, Business Day, image from Twitter