The residents who live where six bodies believed to be of illegal miners were found on Wednesday have called for the deployment of the army to help end an ongoing turf war among illegal miners.
The bodies of six men with gunshot wounds to the head were found scattered on both sides of the N1 highway near Maraisburg in Johannesburg.
“We live in a war zone. Every day from 4pm you are guaranteed to hear gunshots in Bosmont. This has been going on for over a year now. The gunfight always starts in the mining area but involved shooters will always end up running towards our houses,” said Bosmont Community Policing Forum chairperson Gus Malgas.
“We have reported this to the police but nothing has been done to stop this dangerous situation. Now we live in fear of not knowing who might be hit by a stray bullet.”
Police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said the identity and the nationality of the deceased has not yet been established.
“We are investigating six cases of murder and the motive for the killing is not yet known. With information that we have received these people [the deceased] are suspected to be zama zamas in the area,” said Muridili.
The area is a known illegal mining site and clashes between zama zamas have previously been recorded there.
According to Bosmont residents, the recent shooting started around 5pm on Tuesday and police arrived at the scene on Wednesday morning.
“The shooting went on for about an hour. More than 50 illegal miners ran across the highway firing at another group. Both sides were using big rifles. We called the police but they never came because they are not well-equipped to deal with this problem. The army must be sent to help us,” said a Bosmont resident, Freddy Coetzee.
Muridili said police are aware of concerns raised by communities situated near old mining shafts.
She stressed that a special task unit, which includes members of the Hawks and tactical response team, has been deployed to tackle illegal mining activities and crimes allegedly committed by illegal miners in identified hotspots in Gauteng.
“The West Rand, Johannesburg and Benoni are some of the areas that have received extra police deployment from the national office to combat illegal mining. In the West Rand the situation has been stabilised to some level.
“Investigations on illegal mining have been elevated to the provincial office. All the cases linked to illegal mining are receiving specialised investigation from seasoned detectives in the province. We are prioritising these cases,” she said.
But in Bosmont many are not convinced that police will curb illegal mining anytime soon.
“Police are afraid of these zama zamas. We have called them [police] many times but the shooting continues. Bring the army so we can feel safe again,” said Malgas.
nzimandeb@sowetan.co.za
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