Illegal sand mining destroys nature conservations
Sand mining by communities without permits is illegal mining which can badly affect them in the long run. Most rural communities may not be aware of the danger of mining sand which is regarded as a criminal element by the law as long as they don’t have legal documents to permits them.
This may direct them to the opposite side of the law cited as illegal miners. Recently the police in Limpopo made several arrests of locals who were mining sand without documents mostly in the rivers close to their villages.
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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo is also concerned with the manner in which the mining of the sand in local rivers is escalating. Their Provincial leader Jacques Smalle said they have noticed that illegal mining of sand across the province has severe environmental, ecological and social consequences. He said such behaviour is forcing them to open a case with the police in the province to ensure that such behaviour is attended to in a serious manner.
DA IN LIMPOPO RAISES CONCVERN OVER THE ILLEGAL SAND MINING IN THE PROVINCE
“Illegal sand mining has serious implications for rural communities and the agricultural sector, as it disrupts the natural flow of rivers. It is leading to reduced surface water availability for human consumption and farm irrigation particularly during dry seasons. This places an additional burden on farmers who depend on river water to sustain their crops” he said.
Smalle highlighted that these illegal sand mining operations in Limpopo have been deliberately attempting to bypass the provisions of both the Mining and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).
“Under the MPRDA, less stringent measures apply to sand mining applications covering areas under 5 hectares. However, to evade stricter regulations, we have observed a disturbing trend where multiple applications for adjacent pockets of land, each under 5 hectares, are submitted either under a single entity, multiple entities, or individuals linked to one another” he added.
Smalle stated that they are calling for strict enforcement of the law to protect the natural resources, communities, and the agricultural sector. He says decisive actions need to be taken against those involved in these unlawful and unethical practices.
