The North West Department of Community Safety says they will engage with the Department of Mineral Resources to look into permanently closing all disused mine shafts as a permanent solution to illegal mining in the province.
This as police in the province opened an inquest docket following the death of four members of the South Africa National Defence (SANDF).
The members were deployed as part of Operation Vala Umgodi on a 24-hour shift at Shaft 3, a dormant mining shaft situated in Orkney in the North West near the disused Harry Oppenheimer stadium which has been a hotspot for illegal mining.
The deceased members were found inside a container structure which was used as a guard house with their rifles on them and their personal items still with them.
MEC for community, Safety Wessels Morweng elaborates.
“We are going to embark on a process of engaging the Minister of Mineral Resources to make sure that the process of permanently closing this shaft, we get into that process right away as a permanent solution to this problem.”
