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5mo ago

Gauteng Deploys Stabilisation Team as Randfontein Families Flee Illegal Miners

Police escalated operations after Premier Panyaza Lesufi visited the area to hear calls for protection.

Sporong was emptied after attack allegedly committed by a group of artisanal miners
Residents of Sporong and local officials blame illegal miners for the rampant gun violence
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, visited the Sporong Informal Settlement in the Rand West Local Municipality, following the displacement of residents fearing victimisation by illegal miners in the area. Picture: Gauteng Province.
South Africa has long struggled with entrenched crime

Overview

  • About 500 people from the Sporong informal settlement have sheltered at Randgate Community Hall for two weeks, reporting overcrowded, unhygienic conditions and food shortages.
  • Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni says a stabilisation team has been deployed to gather intelligence and intensify operations after reports of forced evictions by armed illegal miners.
  • Premier Panyaza Lesufi and the provincial executive conducted an oversight visit, with officials indicating law enforcement will be bolstered to restore safety and enable families to return home.
  • EFF Gauteng and ATM MP Vuyo Zungula urged stronger action, including potential SANDF deployment, along with urgent humanitarian relief and plans for permanent resettlement.
  • The South African Human Rights Commission opened an investigation and condemned the reported violence as a rights violation requiring immediate protection and accountability measures.