Illegal mining activity
TK Mashaba
Bela-Bela has recently one more time made national headlines after residents protested over a diamond mine that is alleged to have been operating for about 20 years but not contributing anything to the development of the community.
The diamond mine, Palmeitgat few kilometres away from Radium farms, is alleged to have been mining diamond with the latest owner said to have closed doors and fled to Zimbabwe.
On Tuesday 24 November a group of residents went to check the mine after a whistle blower alerted some residents about the illegal mining of diamond by the people who are still securing the place.
The owner or the latest owner was not available during the protest and gate was locked and one can see from a distance the big soil from the digging operations.
The community agreed on putting much pressure on both the municipality and the management to come to the table and explain everything to them.
“This mine is our minerals and as the residents of Bela-Bela we would love to see it operating so that we can manage to work there too, said one of the protesters during their visit there.
The municipal communication officer Kabelo Mosito since promised to come back to us on the matter and during time of press he was not available to tell us the side of the municipality or their engagement on the mining matter.
It is also alleged that the mining has since had few owners who worked on it and left after that.
