09 Dec 2015

Kgosi Toteng Ndzonga of Nkange in the Tutume Sub-district says illegal sand miners have invaded his village.

He raised this concern on Monday during a kgotla meeting addressed by the Village Development Committee (VDC).

Kgosi Ndzonga said the issue of illegal sand mining in the area had been going on for long time, but there was no solution to the problem. He said the police often charged the offenders, but that was not deterrent enough.

Kgosi Ndzonga said the area around the village had been heavily affected by illegal sand harvesting adding that the affected area needed to be rehabilitated. He said some of the miners worked in collaboration with the community members and encouraged residents not to aide illegal activities.

Furthermore, he said other people dumped waste in the area while some churches also polluting the area through some of the activities they carry in the hills around the village.

However, he blamed the situation on the prescribed charge for admission of guilt, which stoods at P1 000 saying it did not deter the culprits from committing the offence again.

Kgosi Ndzonga said after the culprits had paid the admission of guilt fees, the police could not impound their vehicles as it would be illegal. He added that there was currently no one with a license to mine sand in their area, despite alleged activities.  

For his part, chairperson of the VDC Mr Mosupi Thata said government did not condone the illegal mining of sand. 

He said the activity had detrimental effects on the environment adding that some of the ploughing fields in the area had been dug.

“Sand holds a lot of water, and when it is mindlessly mined and laden on to trucks, large quantities of water is lost in the process,” he noted. 

He explained that the negative impact of illegal sand mining outweighed the economic benefits, pointing out that there is a perception that sand and rocks are useless and rivers have a lot of sand.

Mr Thata said this is wrong perception because they are crucial for the sustained existence of the river and perform many other functions.

“We have seen the impact of tampering with the rivers and their resources in the recent floods. When sand and rocks are removed in an unimpeded way using heavy machines, the erosion capacity of the river increases. Sand and rocks prevent the river from changing the course and act as a buffer for the riverbed.” Mr Thata added.

He called upon the residents to join hands and work together towards a common goal of protecting their environment adding that it is disheartening that some of the community members work in collaboration with the illegal miners. 

 

Mr Thata advised them to get licenses from the Department of Mines in Francistown to avoid finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Ends