South Africa: Fourteen Reported Dead, 17 Injured in Illegal Chrome Incident Near Marikana
[Daily Maverick] Illegal chrome mining and illicit chrome washing plants are rife in the region and hiding in plain sight, though the police have had some recent successes on this front. Last week the Hawks swooped on one operation and seized four excavators and one dump truck.
Fourteen individuals lost their lives and seventeen sustained injuries in an incident involving illegal chrome operations near the Nkaneng informal settlement, close to Marikana, South Africa. The victims and injured were reportedly impacted by activities linked to illegal chrome mining and unregulated chrome washing plants in the region.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Colonel Anne Magakoe confirmed the occurrence of the event on Monday night, stating that the police would release an official statement soon. Colonel Anne Magakoe also mentioned that the scene remains active. Additionally, there have been several recent successes in combating illegal mining operations, with the Hawks seizing four excavators and one dump truck last week.
In the past two years, 23 cases related to illegal mining were registered in the Rustenburg area, with 63 individuals facing charges. These illegal mining activities often disregard safety standards, posing significant risks to workers and surrounding communities.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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