The deaths of six Modikwa Platinum mine workers in Driekop has lifted the lid on sophisticated criminal elements that have usurped legitimate business interests in the small mining town of Burgersfort in Limpopo. Cartels, assassinations and hostile takeovers have become familiar as former taxi owners, young entrepreneurs and community leaders scramble for a piece of the 30% procurement provision allocated to local businesses by mining houses along the Dilokong corridor. Though the police are yet to determine the motive behind the recent torching of a bus that was taking more than 50 mine workers home when Zephora Makuwa, Piet Ranku, Monicah Mabilu, Simon Mahlokoane, Lucas Komana and Johannes Malepe were burnt to death, locals believe the reasons for their killings are more complex than accepted. The permanent chaos in the area as a result of regular mass protests, which descend into violence, led locals and some media reports to conclude that the murders were a result of unrest over...
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