Dropping a bomb on illegal mining

Enact senior researcher Richard Chelin and senior training coordinator Willem Els say* that it is essential to curb the trafficking of explosives to combat illegal mining syndicates.

“Acting on a tip-off, a South African Police Service (SAPS) team arrived at an unoccupied mine on the outskirts of Johannesburg. It was a warm day and everything appeared calm above ground. Yet this routine inspection turned violent underground as battles erupted between the police and a group of illegal miners.

“Deep inside the mine, with the temperature reaching over 40°C, the police faced off against an armed group of miners who would rather die than be caught. To protect themselves, the miners placed explosives at strategic spots in the mine’s tunnels with the intention of perpetrating maximum damage to whoever dared apprehend them.

“Two hours later, and running out of ammunition, the miners surrendered. The battle wasn’t without casualties – four illegal miners had been shot dead and two police officers were seriously injured. The remaining miners were arrested and charged with trespassing and violations under the South African Explosives (Act 26 of 1956),” they say.

The miners in the scenario were part of organised criminal syndicates, and are often referred to as criminal miners within mining and law enforcement circles. This distinguishes them from artisanal small-scale miners who operate without licences. “The criminal miners run extremely efficient operations where the risks are worth the profits they make. This is also a crime that stays hidden and is seldom reported on in the general media.”

So, curbing access to illegal explosives would deal a blow to illegal mining syndicates. “To this end, Colonel Jurie van Staden, commander of the SAPS’s explosives control section, emphasises the need to implement track-and-trace technology in the supply chain of commercial explosives. This will both strengthen the control of explosives and curb the trafficking of illegal explosives,” they note.

“If, for example, the illegal explosives used in a crime or illegal mining operations could be traced back to a legal mine, the investigation would be in a position to determine how these were removed from the mine and those responsible could be held accountable.

“Similarly, if the illegal explosives are traced to the black market, the manufacturer of these explosives could be identified and law enforcement would be able to verify at which point along the supply chain the explosives were diverted.”

The difficulty in implementing a track-and-trace system is its cost, however, and who carries it. “While the cost of the system will be carried by the manufacturers and importers, eventually the cost will be channelled to the end-user. In other words, the cost of procuring explosives will increase for the user. However, it can be considered a small price to pay to ensure better and more effective control of the explosives.”

* In their piece “Smuggled explosives are the key ingredient for illegal mining”.