Aurora confirms illegal miner deaths

[miningmx.com] — EMBATTLED gold miner, Aurora Empowerment Systems, said it has been a target of vandalism and theft since placing the East Rand operations on care and maintanance in February.

The company confirmed there had been deaths at its Grootvlei mine, but added the killings were of illegal miners who had been terrorising its grounds.

Earlier, the newspaper Sowetan reported up to 20 individuals had been killed and left to rot in the underground recesses of the mine in what appeared to have been an arbitrary act of violence.

However, Aurora management told Miningmx four illegal miners dubbed “the Zama Zama’s” had been shot dead.

“The 20 people who the paper reported to be dead was wrong’, said Thulani Ngubane, commercial director at the Grootvlei mine. “Last week one of our security guards was shot dead and another kidnapped by these illegal miners,’ he told Miningmx.

The gold mining company, which is owned by Khulubuse Zuma and Zondwa Mandela, the grandson of former president Nelson Mandela, has been bedevilled by a slew of problems ranging from allegations of acid water pollution to strike action.

Ngubane said management at the mine had been alerted to “a situation” after a kidnapped guard managed to escape. The company has to date reported over 35 cases of illegal mining to the police.

Reports of a rampage could not be true, said Ngubane, as Grootvlei has been shut following a wage-related worker’s strike since April.

Aurora claims the alleged criminals stole power cables and equipment, stripped transformers and built dangerous shafts to gain access to the mine.

“These shafts are extremely dangerous and susceptible to collapse,” said Ngubane.

The Zama Zama’s are said to be mining recklessly and targeting high grade ore areas thus destroying the ore body.

Dawid Stander, CEO of Aurora’s mining division, said the Saps had been involved “from the outset”.

“We didn’t just go underground ourselves. The Saps were fully aware of what was going on at the mine. I can’t comment further until an investigation has been completed,” he said.

Aurora said there are two factions of illegal miners operating in the area after a group of personnel appointed to investigate the illegal mining activities were forced to retreat by gunfire on Monday.

Government response

Government said it was the responsibility of the company to contain and restrict illegal mining notwithstanding the fact the state is custodian of the minerals.

“It is the responsibility of the mine to ensure that their properties are safe and that no illegal activities are taking place,’ said Jeremy Michaels, spokesperson for the minerals resources department.

“It is expected to secure those minerals and ensure they have security in place to guard the property,’ he said.

Government had assisted with establishing forums to discuss illegal mining. “Law enforcement agencies are responsible for dealing with criminal mining,’ he said.

Unions deplore Aurora

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) called for an investigation into the incident which is bound to reignite the debate about how to control illegal mining in defunct parts of South Africa’s mines.

“The NUM calls for an urgent investigation into these allegations and whether or
not these were indeed illegal miners,” the trade union said in a statement to I-Net Bridge, a wire service.

“For over ten months, workers at Aurora were paid piece-meal by the company led
by Khulubuse Zuma and Zondwa Mandela,” said the NUM.

“The workers were left to fend for themselves in filthy hostels with no electricity
and water and depended on upstream water contaminated with mine acid,” it said.

Cosatu said though it did not condone illegal mining, the illegal miners had “the same constitutional rights as every other citizen”.

“Even if the people killed were involved in illegal mining that in no way justifies the brutal response allegedly meted out by the security guards.”

The two unions said they demand “The reluctant state to take drastic measures against the owners of Aurora Empowerment Systems who in spite of their failure to properly manage Aurora are continuing to clinch business deals left, right and centre.”

They claimed the mines were becoming “Hazardous day and night whilst they continue to move the goal posts in terms of paying their workforce.’

Illegal mining has been the scourage of Harmony Gold and Pan African Mines in the past while in the gold industry specifically, an estimated R5.6bn has been drained through gold mining theft.

Normally illegal miners inhabit disused mine shafts where they live for several months using crude gold extraction methods and then supplying the gold to well organised syndicates.

The mines are throwing money and technology at curtailing the first level of illegal mining syndicates but to no avail.