Kgosi Joel calls for stiffer penalties for illegal sand mining
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Tuesday September 26, 2017 15:13
He said that many of them are repeat offenders because the penalties are low and not serving as a deterrent.
The chief observed that majority of locals turn a blind eye to the crime, putting the blame on the government for not creating jobs for its citizens.
Joel told Mmegi that illegal sand mining has contributed to the degradation of rivers in his area.
“Majority of villagers are engaged in illegal sand mining and they don’t seem to care about the implication of the unlawful activity,” he said.
At Mandunyane Kgotla, there are tonnes of sand piled in the compound that was confiscated from the offenders.
Joel said the maximum fine for the offence is P1,000 whilst a tipper truckload fetches around P550.
Joel said that the government should implement new laws and policies to fight the misuse of natural resources before they become scarce.
Illegal sand mining is also a concern to other stakeholders. Licensed sand miner, Moffat Kelebonye of Sox and Boots Investment, is equally frustrated.
Kelebonye said that his business is on the verge of collapsing, as he no longer generates any profit.
He said that the Department of Mines has licensed his company a 2.7 hectors piece of land but he is struggling to make a living, as he has to compete with un-licensed miners.
“Our nightmare began when we approached our consumers for tenders and they said that our sand it too expensive and we should at least sell a truck load at P550 like other locals.
We refused their offer because we following the market price for industrial minerals which was provided by the Department of Mines,” he said.
The concerned entrepreneur said that the standard market price to provide sand locally as provided by the Department of Mines is close to P940 per truckload.
He blamed locals for aiding the dodgy business, which usually is done at night, as they make endless orders with illegal sand miners.
Kelebonye said that they have about seven brick moulding factories in Tonota and surrounding areas, which are also struggling.
He stated that most of these illegal sand miners were foreigners who do not have work permits.
“Illegal sand miners are destroying my business and to make things worse I have spent over P900 000, for upgrading the mining site and purchasing relevant machinery used for sand mining, but I still do not have a single loyal customer.
If I get a customer today, tomorrow he or she will run to the illegal miners because of their cheap prices,” he said.
Kelebonye disclosed that he has reported the issue to the relevant authorities, but no action has been taken as more people have now ventured in the illegal business.