The South African mining industry says the increase in illegal mining, which is costing the country about R6-billion a year, is becoming a challenge worldwide. AngloGold Ashanti, which made headlines last year when its Obuasi mine in Ghana was overrun by illegal miners, said the trouble spots in South Africa had been the abandoned mines in the Durban Roodepoort Deep and Blyvooruitzicht areas west of Johannesburg. "It's clear that this is an important issue that requires close attention from all stakeholders in the industry to ensure we prevent the obvious and significant safety, social and environmental risks that flow from this illegal activity," said spokesman Chris Nthite. Illegal mining, which first started at abandoned mines, has spread to operating mines, with miners walking and crawling as far as 4km underground to reach the most profitable sites. Speaking at the release of the mining industry's 2016 health and safety statistics this week, acting chief inspector of mines Xoli...
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