Despite its centrality to South Africa’s economic wellbeing, the mining sector has always been a complex and contested space. These complexities are now exacerbated by the growing scourge of illegal mining, a phenomenon that is not only displacing communities but also diverting scarce state resources away from critical services and towards combating criminal activity.
That the police have spent R1.1bn over three years funding Operation Vala Umgodi is a stark illustration of the scale and pervasiveness of the problem.
At the risk of restating the widely acknowledged drivers of illegal mining — from unemployment to illegal immigration, a weak criminal justice system and policy gaps that sustain a market for illicit minerals — addressing these symptoms in isolation is akin to prescribing penicillin to treat a viral infection.
While resolving these drivers may offer temporary relief, without guardrails that ensure long-term protection we have merely left the door half open for the problem to resurface. This is not to suggest that tackling unemployment, securing our borders or strengthening the criminal justice system are unimportant. Rather, it is to argue that these measures treat the symptoms, not the disease.
Two interventions in particular — policy certainty and beneficiation — could meaningfully move the needle towards eradicating illegal mining.
Despite concerns raised by various industry stakeholders, the publication of the Mineral Resources Development Amendment Bill presents an opportunity not only to modernise the sector but also to embed mechanisms that safeguard it against illegally mined products.
Two interventions in particular — policy certainty and beneficiation — could meaningfully move the needle towards eradicating illegal mining.
The public participation process now being undertaken by the department of mineral & petroleum resources (which will be followed by parliamentary deliberations) offers a critical window to strengthen the bill and address deficiencies identified by industry and civil society alike.
However, regulatory guardrails alone will not win this battle; they merely provide the platform from which it can be fought. Given the international nature of mineral markets, South Africa cannot confront illegal mining in isolation. Effectively combating the trade in illicit minerals requires cross-border co-operation, shared commitment and decisive action, not episodic gestures driven by the need for front-page headlines.
The Kimberley Process, designed to eliminate conflict diamonds, provides a useful blueprint for multilateral collaboration. The real question is whether there is sufficient political will to extend such co-operation across all mineral commodities.
By formalising artisanal mining and promoting local value addition, government can incentivise miners to transition from informal and often illegal operations into regulated, legal and safer environments.
South Africa’s democratic tradition is rooted in consultation and negotiation. While this approach was instrumental in navigating the transition from apartheid to democracy, it has also fostered a culture of prolonged dialogue with limited execution. Beneficiation, long identified as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, remains largely aspirational. Although commendable steps have been taken to move down the value chain, progress has been uneven and constrained by infrastructure deficits, energy insecurity and regulatory instability.
Notwithstanding these challenges, including high energy intensity, exposure to global price volatility and infrastructure bottlenecks, South Africa retains significant potential to expand beneficiated mineral output, particularly in the production of finished goods.
Potential to create millions of jobs
By formalising artisanal mining and promoting local value addition, government can incentivise miners to transition from informal and often illegal operations into regulated, legal and safer environments. This shift would strengthen local enterprise development, unlock much-needed employment (with estimates suggesting the potential creation of up to 2.3-million jobs) and materially expand GDP.
Beneficiation would also improve traceability and tax compliance. Crucially, linking mining to local value addition ensures that mineral wealth supports community infrastructure, such as clinics and schools, reducing dependence on the informal and illegal mining economy.
While these proposals are not a panacea, combating illegal mining demands a multifaceted approach in which multiple elements align like ducklings following their mother. South Africa is capable of reaching this desired state; what is required is sustained political will and a commitment to action.
Without this resolve, more families will be forced to follow the tragic path of the 600 households, predominantly women and children, who fled the Sporong informal settlement in Randfontein due to illegal mining.
This is not the future for which the martyrs of our freedom paid the ultimate price.
• Mahlaule is an ANC MP and chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on minerals & petroleum resources.
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