Illegal sand miners abandon Umdloti River site after Courier exposé
Crime intelligence operation underway to tackle illegal sand mining.
Following the Courier’s exposé of illegal sand mining in the Umdloti River, the miners hastily abandoned their operations and disappeared.
The article appeared last Wednesday after the Courier was alerted by the Mount Moreland community, who also reported the illegal operation to various government departments and the police.
By Thursday afternoon the crew had packed up their belongings and left the site, leaving behind a small tin shack containing a fishing rod and a cannister of paraffin.
The Courier visited the abandoned site on Monday to find a severely damaged riparian zone, with a series of indigenous trees pushed over or uprooted. The area was also littered with indiscriminately dug holes and heaps of sand.
A large tract of land was left stripped barren, rendering it vulnerable to erosion.
The miners had also left behind a sizeable stockpile of sand, with an estimated value of R30 000 to R50 000.
It is understood a crime intelligence-driven operation is in the process of being set up. For safety reasons, the driver behind the operation asked to remain anonymous.
He said the operators had to be brought to book to rehabilitate the area they damaged. “The river can’t talk. We have to talk for the river.”
He added that sand mining was a “gold mine and if not brought to book operators were likely to regroup and continue operations elsewhere.”
He explained these investigations had to be done properly or else they go nowhere in court.
Coincidentally, a snare sweep undertaken by community members over the weekend produced 16 snares in the vicinity of the mining site.
The snares were of various sizes, allegedly targeting animals ranging from bush pig to various buck species.
A whistleblower also alerted the Courier to another alleged illegal sand mining operation further upstream in the Umdloti River in the vicinity of Canelands Estate as well as an operation in the Ohlanga River.
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