Inside the zama zama war
Mining companies were taken by surprise when the government announced the army would be deployed to help defeat the illegal mining industry. They’re only partially cheered by the military rollout
30 November 2023 - 05:00
Sibanye-Stillwater’s Neal Froneman has more reason than most to want crime and corruption in the mining sector tackled. The precious metals miner, of which he is the founding CEO, reported 363 incidents of illegal mining in 2022, resulting in 1,115 arrests — against 187 incidents and 473 arrests the year before.
“Look, illegal mining is out of control,” he tells the FM. “It requires special skills that clearly [the police] do not have. You are dealing with people where life is cheap and sometimes blunt force with blunt force needs to be used to establish control.”..
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