Gun fire at Grootvlei mine continues to be heard on a daily basis by residents staying in the area.
Since its closure, illegal miners have taken to mining at Grootvlei, even though security is being employed to deter this.
Complaints from residents have been pouring in to the Advertiser via Facebook as residents fear the ‘war’ that is going on in their backyard.
“Sounded like gun wars! There was two different guns fired – you could hear the difference, and it was hectic,” said Veronica Pinard after another night of gun fire.
Magda Burke, who lives in Ermelo Road, commented that she could hear the shots throughout the evening and well into the night.
Hannes Wagner wanted to know how the police can allow this to go on.
“The police spokesman merely shrugged off the fact that mine security is shooting at intruders. Do you see any fences around the mine property by the way? Are home owners now also allowed to shoot at any stranger on their property – or are there different laws for mine owners? How long before an innocent human being is going to be killed by a stray bullet?” he asked.
Vijen Lankesar agreed with Wagner, adding that it was obvious that the shots were being fired by security shooting at illegal miners.
Residents are calling on the police to intervene before an innocent person is hit by a stray bullet.
Fidelity Security Services’ (FSS) lawyer Martin Wood issued a statement, when approached by the Advertiser, stating that FSS was ‘contracted to go onto the Grootvlei property after extensive stripping of mine assets was noted, which has created a hazardous physical environment of open shafts and exposed electrical cables’.
“Since the presence of FSS, the security officers have been subjected to a systematic programme of intimidation and violence,” Wood states.
These activities range from being regularly shot at by illegal miners, riotous activity, explosive devices laid out on Fidelity patrol routes and holes or trenches being dug to entrap the security officers on patrol.
There have also been incidents of murders of illegal miners by other illegal miners.
“Fidelity has requested the assistance of Springs police on numerous occasions, writing to the Springs station commander as well as the provincial police commissioner to make additional resources available to prevent illegal mining and property theft,” said Wood.
Springs police spokesman Captain Johannes Ramphora says it is a conundrum.
“The police cannot enter the property because it is privately owned. Unless we are given reason to within our jurisdiction enter the property, our hands are tied.”
Last Thursday, Springs police were able to confiscate a variety of items from illegal miners a Grootvlei village.
“Our members received information that a group of miners were carrying firearms at the old hostel. When they went to investigate, the illegal miners ran away from them,” says Capt Ramphora, adding that they managed to apprehend one suspect who was in possession of a 9mm firearm with the number filed off.
The items left behind by the miners who escaped ranged from spades, sledgehammers to hand guns, bolt cutters, ammunition and hack saws.
Capt Ramphora stresses that “this is an on going problem to combat the incidents that occur at the mine at its old hostel. We cannot investigate the mine at night because these illegal miners are heavily armed, and when trying to arrest them, they use tunnels around the mine to escape capture.”
The police are doing their duty in attending to any criminal activity occurring at the mine and so far the only strategy that had proven successful, are the raids and arrests of suspects.
Since Grootvlei’s liquidation, they have raided the hostels twice arresting an estimated 110 illegal miners, but during these raids, they were only found in possession of basic tools used for mining.
“The mine can never officially close, until a decision is reached by the mine’s owners, in order to solve this problem of gunfire and illegal mining, the private owners must engage with Springs police and find strategies to eliminate the problem,” says Capt Ramphora.
