Illegal mining in and around the Barberton region is causing severe environmental damage and threatening the tourism sector that countless local businesses rely on, according to a community tourism leader.
Astred Christensen from the Barberton Community Tourism said the crisis has dealt a “huge, huge knock” to tourism, which is fundamentally built around outdoor experiences in the Mkhondo Mountains — a world heritage site.
“You may not mine on a world heritage site. It’s illegal,” Christensen said. She added that illegal miners are disrupting rocks that form part of the oldest rock formation in the world, dating back 3.5 billion years.
The dangers have made once-popular destinations inaccessible. “I cannot send my visitors to any of our hiking trails or places of interest that we used to have right outside our office,” Christensen said. “It’s too dangerous for them. The onus falls on us to be able to indicate to people, are you safe or aren’t you safe?”
Speaking on site at Barberton Mines, owned by Pan African Resources, Christensen praised the company’s efforts, saying Barberton “could not exist without Barberton Mines.” However, she noted the immense cost of security: “The money they are having to spend on security could build several schools and clinics. That is crazy.”
While acknowledging that some artisanal miners, known as Zama Zamas, may be trying to feed their families, Christensen was uncompromising: “They are stealing from our economy. Where’s their taxes? Where’s their tax going? It’s not going to the poor people that are going underground. It’s going to some head honchos and possibly not even from our country. That is totally immoral, illegal and nasty.”
Asked about law enforcement, Christensen said the police in town have been “very, very kind” and helpful, but pointed to the courts as the failure point. “They go to court after a lengthy procedure, get a 50 rand fine, and then duck and go straight back. As far as I’m concerned, it is the court where the failure is.”
She also acknowledged that corruption remains a challenge, referencing the State Capture Commission. “Corruption is rough. We know that. But I’m not giving up on my country and certainly not giving up on my Barberton and my mountains.”
When asked whether army deployment could help, Christensen was uncertain. “They’ve got a different format as opposed to the police. We know that they’re out there to fight wars. This is a different kind of war.”
The South African police have reportedly made arrests in recent days through Operation Vala Umgodi, with Brigadier Donald Mdhluli confirming that intelligence operations are ongoing. However, Christensen said the problem continues to worsen, with illegal mining operations springing up in new places almost daily.
“You can build buildings and swimming pools and whatever have you, but you can’t build a mountain,” she said.