Following the president’s announcement that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will assist in the fight against illegal miners, Mayor Lucky Sele has expressed his full support for the decision.

In a social media video, Sele said the town urgently needs the military to address the issue of zama zamas.

WATCH: Mayor Lucky Sele 

“Zama zamas are a serious problem in our city. They are threatening our infrastructure and the livelihoods of community members. There was even a case of an alleged rape by zama zamas,” he stated.

He added that in areas like Soul City, residents are advised to stay at home due to dangerous turf wars between illegal miners.

“We are increasing our community policing initiatives with the police. Even the provincial government has requested that the president deploy the military to help resolve this issue,” Sele said.

Also read: SANDF joins police to secure West Rand against zama zamas

He explained that Mogale City Local Municipality does not have the resources to tackle the problem on its own.

“We require a security cluster to assist us. Illegal mining here is not an isolated problem, although it is significant. Zama zamas travel along the reef, reaching as far as the East Rand and Carletonville. They operate as an organised, armed syndicate and are destroying even our water infrastructure. We appeal to the president to implement a multi-disciplinary approach, similar to how we dealt with the sewage challenges, to help us manage the zama zamas,” he concluded.