The lack of government action has contributed to illegal mining in the country. This is according to experts who are observing the developments around the illegal miners currently trapped underground at the Stilfontein Mine in the North West.
While the 2002 Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act aims to make provision for equitable and sustainable access to the country’s mineral and petroleum resources- there has been a lack of implementation of various policies to this end.
This includes policies enabling small-scale or artisanal mining.
Currently, while law enforcement agencies are tasked with cracking down on illegal mining, communities in resource-rich areas continue to call for the sector to open up and give them proper access to the minerals on which they live.
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