Cape Town – Lesotho Minister of Foreign Affairs Lejone Mpotjoane, has acknowledged that his country’s weak economy is a major factor contributing to illegal mining activities in South Africa.
Armed gangs, suspected to be from Lesotho, are engaged in conflicts with mining companies, resulting in casualties.
At least 31 people Basotho nationals died last month in an abandoned gold mine.
The deaths occurred in the ventilation shaft at an abandoned site in the gold mining town of Welkom, 260Km from Johannesburg, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) said.
This was after a methane gas explosion occurred.
The toxic gas levels in the shaft have hindered the recovery of bodies, and it is speculated that survivors may still be trapped underground, EWN reported.
Minister of Mineral Resources, Gwede Mantashe, on Monday, visited the site and referred to illegal mining as a criminal activity that threatens the country’s economy.
[ILLEGAL MINING IS A CRIMINAL ACTIVITY] pic.twitter.com/9QtF63A4HD
— Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (@DMRE_ZA) June 26, 2023
“Illegal mining is not a mining activity – it is a criminal activity,” Mantashe said.
Mpotjoane acknowledged that Basotho men are involved in illegal mining and stated that the government of Lesotho does not support such activities. Efforts are being made by both governments to recover the bodies.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
