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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Mr Mikateko Mahlaule, has called on the roleplayers in Operation Vala Umgodi to approach the situation in Stilfontein, North West, with due care. He urged them to strike a balance between two constitutional imperatives - the right to life and the police’s duty to prevent, combat and investigate crime.  

The country has been grappling with the scourge of illegal mining for many years, and mining communities bore the brunt of peripheral criminal activities such as rape, robbing and damage to public infrastructure, among others. However, since the inception of Operation Vala Umgodi in December last year, there have been remarkable strides in fighting the scourge.

Mr Mahlaule has welcomed the reassurance by both the South African Police Service and the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management in North West that they will spare no effort in ensuring the safe rescue of all illegal miners who are underground. He said that those who are underground should be rescued to face the full might of the law.

“We take note of the good work that is done by Operation Vala Umgodi. Over and above many arrests effected thus far, the intelligent work of the operation has led to a crackdown on the illicit activities in Stilfontein,” said Mr Mahlaule.
 
He said that the number of illegal miners that are reported to be underground paints a harrowing picture of an endemic criminal syndicate characterised by the blatant disregard for the laws of the country and that the state cannot afford to give in. 

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Mikateko Mahlaule