Mchunu says plans in the pipeline to formalise artisanal and small-scale mining

STILFONTEIN - Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu said plans are in the pipeline to formalise artisanal and small-scale mining as authorities consider solutions to the rise in illegal mining in parts of the country.  

A second draft of the artisanal and small-scale mining policy was issued for public comment in 2021 and was meant to be passed into law at the beginning of 2024.  

However, the process has been frustrated by some red tape.  

Mchunu met with community leaders in Stilfontein on Friday to provide an update on plans to retrieve hundreds of zama zamas from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, North West.  

He said government had involved mining industry leaders to determine how to approach the matter, including tighter controls on sealing and rehabilitating disused mines.  

"But I must qualify this – the artisanal mechanism that I’m talking about, it will only be designed for South Africans around those mines the DMRE [Department of Mineral Resources and Energy] believes can still benefit the communities around those places."