Parliamentary committees recommend amendment of laws to fight illegal mining

The report makes several recommendations to “respond to the challenge of illegal mining”, including an “urgent amendment of some legislation” to the Immigration Act, the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, the Diamonds, the Precious Metals Act, the Hazardous Substances Act and the Customs and Excise Act.

National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula assigned the committees to conduct joint oversight visits after the gang rape and robbery at a mine dump in Krugersdorp recently. The committee discovered “how illegal mining activities affect communities with social crimes”.

“In the report, the committees acknowledge the response of the Free State to illegal mining and recommend that the province could be used as a benchmark by all the provinces experiencing illegal mining,” the statement reads.

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