Mataffin landowners and residents have sounded urgent alarms over environmental destruction and property risks caused by illegal sand mining.

The affected area, near Gladdespruit and Rivergate Estate, has reportedly become a hotspot for illegal sand mining, with tree removal and excavation severely impacting the ecosystem.

Illegal dumping of building rubble and other materials has an additional impact, leaving waste scattered across parts of the landscape.

Landowners prepare for legal action

Representing landowners, Terry Mdluli of the Mataffin Community Trust (MCT) said the organisation, working with the police and its legal team, will take action against those responsible.

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“We have been trying to remove the people who are mining sand and dumping debris in the area,” he said. “We have even deployed security guards on site, but they move to the other side, which makes it difficult for us.”

Mdluli added that equipment and vehicles found mining sand will be confiscated.

John Meintjes of ACS Spartan Security told Lowvelder that the MCT deployed security guards after concerns about illegal activities in the area escalated.

He said guards initially managed to stop mining operations in one section of the wetland that had already suffered significant damage.

“Despite some of the challenges, where the guard was harassed by those who were mining, we eventually managed to stop them,” said Meintjes. “But in the past three weeks, they have moved to the other side of the wetlands, just a few metres from the residential area.”

He said the mining takes place daily, mostly during daylight hours.

Meintjes has since withdrawn his security service.

He said it feels like robbing a client to protect an area adjacent to where mining still happens daily.

He added that police and the municipality are involved, but said more stakeholder engagement is needed to curb the illegal activities.

Authorities respond to community concerns

The Mpumalanga spokesperson for SAPS, Mavela Masondo, said officers conduct routine patrols in the area.

City of Mbombela spokesperson Joseph Ngala confirmed that curbing the illegal activity falls under the municipality’s by-law enforcement mandate and condemned illegal activities in the area.

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“Illegal dumping is a serious concern. We do have designated areas for dumping and people are not using it,” he said.

Residents living along the wetland have raised concerns about ongoing mining and dumping close to their properties.

They claim to have approached the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (Dardlea), but say that little has been done to intervene.

During a visit to the area on September 15, Lowvelder came across tipper trucks collecting sand. Large amounts of rubble, household waste and building material were also found dumped along the wetland and roadside. A vehicle belonging to a company known to Lowvelder was found dumping building material at the site.

The driver told Lowvelder that the company had permission from the landowner to dump the material on his property, but could not clarify why material was being dumped along the roadside.

By the time of publication, attempts to reach the business owner were unsuccessful, and Dardlea had not yet responded to Lowvelder’s questions about sand mining and dumping in the area.