Zim illegal sand miners invade Kumakwane

Victor Muyakwabo
Correspondent | Friday March 16, 2012 00:00

The sand, which is in high demand is being mined illegally along the stream just behind Kumakwane Village. The culprits have a station in Kumakwane Village next to a bus stop commonly called UB where trucks pay and collect them for loading. Normally sand is sold for as much P2,600 per truck, but the group charge their buyers as little as P350. The mining has been going on for years as the illegal miners are now encroaching on Mankgodi Village territory.  One of the residents in the damaged area told Mmegi yesterday that the mining has been going on for years but the government has not done anything to stop it. He says they are no longer safe around their lands as the open pits have become dangerous to the people and domestic animals. When contacted, chief engineer (operations and development) at the Department of Mines, Ofentse Ditsele, said they are aware of the illegal mining that takes place in areas surrounding Gaborone and they have been 'inspecting the streams to make sure people mining the sand are registered.' with the department.

'We have a problem with the law which is why it appears as if we are not managing to fight illegal mining. When we arrest anyone, we charge them not more than P200, and most of the time they pay on the spot and go back to mining,' said Ditsele.  'We hope that when the law is amended those caught will be severely dealt with,' said Ditsele. He added that sometimes they mount roadblocks along the Kumakwane road to arrest the illegal miners. 

In an interview with Kumakwane Village chief, Opelo Kgabo, he said that as the village leaders they are aware of the illegal mining. 'We even know of that group of Zimbabwean men who sit next to the UB stop,' said Kgabo.He said in the past they reported the matter to the landboard but they were refereed to the Department of Mining, who told them that they were also aware of the issue.

'We are baffled that the government is not doing anything because when they arrest those involved in the crime, they just let them go. One would expect them to impound the trucks and equipment they use,' said Kgabo.He added that the trucks involved in the transportation of the sand work day and night and dump their waste in the same area where they mine the sand.  One of the truck drivers (not involved in the illicit trade) stated that the illegal miners do their work openly.  'These men wait under the tree and some truck drivers have become their regular customers, each time they want to buy sand they will park at a stop next to that tree so that they pay before going to the loading points,' he said. He also said even in the gazetted areas there are often people who load sand using machines but do not have permits. He said the illegal group loads four trucks per day and when a sand transporter is arrested they are charged P1,000 but the group which loads for them is not affected. According to the Department of Mines, no one has been licensed to mine sand along Metsimothabe River. Even around Kumakwane Village people are not allowed to mine pit-sand as the area was damaged in the past. Pit-sand mining is only allowed in the Manklgodi-Tuwaneng area.