Colossal infrastructure damage linked to illegal mining in Johannesburg - IOL

The landscape of Bapong in the North West has been damaged forever after illegal surface mining took place there between April to November 2025.

South Africa's infrastructure repair bill is already in the hundreds of millions of rand due to illegal mining, but authorities are still unsure of the entire amount.

Electricity, water, sewer, and other vital infrastructure are at risk throughout mining-affected areas, and the city of Johannesburg alone has identified over R285 million in road and bridge repairs related to damage caused by illicit mining.

The figure is not a national total. Johannesburg itself says it does not have consolidated figures showing the full financial impact of illegal mining on the city over the past three years.

Across South Africa, the consequences are surfacing in collapsing roads, unstable ground, damaged public infrastructure and environmental degradation, raising a bigger question: how much is the country ultimately paying to repair infrastructure affected by illegal mining?

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) said the scale of the problem was severe.

Departmental spokesperson Lerato Ntsoko described illegal mining as “rife and extremely serious” and said it required urgent attention, while also acknowledging its impact on legitimate mining operations and communities.

“Our assessment indeed reveals the adverse way in which this scourge is affecting legitimate mining operations by, among others, creating unhealthy competition. The issue has also adversely affected the communities living in the vicinity of these illicit activities, causing extreme socio-economic and environmental challenges,” Ntsoko said.

The department said unregulated operations are conducted without the legislative obligations imposed on legitimate rights and permit holders, creating risks that extend from public safety to infrastructure and the environment.

“The illegal mining activities are causing serious health, safety and environmental risks to the people and the infrastructure in the vicinity,” Ntsoko said.

“These areas are also marred with lawlessness and contact crimes, which include assaults and robbery amongst others. There are also huge environmental degradation and pollution implications, and damage to key infrastructure such as roads and water facilities.”

The DMPR said it is working with law-enforcement agencies through joint operations including Vala Umgodi and Operation Prosper.

The government reported in August that Operation Prosper had disrupted illegal mining in Free State, Gauteng, and North West, with arrests, shaft closures, and seizures of firearms, explosives, and mining equipment.

An alleged illegal miner digs in an area for possible gold dust next to an informal settlement bordering on the premises of a factory in Cleveland, Johannesburg.

The consequences are particularly stark in Gauteng, where the City of Johannesburg has begun putting figures to some of the damage.

City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said illegal mining remained a significant and growing challenge, particularly around historical mining areas and abandoned mine sites.

“The activities also undermine the structural integrity of roads, bridges, stormwater systems, electricity infrastructure, water pipelines, sewer networks, and other municipal assets,” Modingoane said.

Investigations revealed by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) found underground voids as deep as 22 metres beneath the road prism along John and Webber Streets in Booysens and 17 metres beneath Wemmerpan Road in Turffontein.

In Roodepoort, sinkholes between six and eight metres deep have affected Nick Toomey Boulevard, Mijn Street, and Alpha Street in Witpoortjie.

Modingoane said the consequences went beyond damaged roads.

“The closure of these roads severely limits the accessibility of communities, businesses, and emergency services. Without these vital road connections, communities face limited access to essential services, goods, and medical facilities.”

The city estimates that R262 million is required to reinstate five roads affected by illegal mining fully. Preliminary assessments of M1 and M2 bridge structures have put repairs to abutments and parapet walls at close to R23 million before detailed investigations establish the full rehabilitation bill.

Yet, Johannesburg does not know the full cost.

“The city currently does not have consolidated city-wide figures that quantify the full financial impact of illegal mining over the past three years,” Modingoane said.

City Power is confronting a similar threat beneath the electricity network. Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said illegal underground mining was threatening critical infrastructure around the Robertville and Roodepoort substations and along the Main Reef corridor.

“Underground excavations have compromised ground stability, placing substations, transformers, pylons, and transmission towers at risk. In some areas, infrastructure has already begun to sink as illegal mining activity continues beneath the surface,” Mangena said.

He said armed groups operating around abandoned mines had also threatened technical teams and, in some cases, shot at them.

The infrastructure threat is not unique to Gauteng. In North West, the provincial legislature has recently raised concerns about illegal mining and unauthorised chrome wash plants in Bojanala and Madibeng, citing environmental damage, water pollution, unsafe excavations and inadequate enforcement capacity.

The committee said that about 70 chrome wash plants had been inspected during 2025/26, with around 30 found to be operating without environmental authorisation.

The province has also faced a deadly human toll. The DMPR confirmed an incident in Nkaneng, Rustenburg, in August in which illegal miners died, while investigations into the circumstances continued.

For the UASA trade union, the implications extend into the formal mining workforce.

Nico van Rooyen, the Divisional Manager for Mining at the UASA, said, "Illegal mining is a serious concern because it threatens the livelihoods and safety of legal employees while also undermining the sustainability of the companies whose operations are being illegally exploited.”

He said illegal operations also raised concerns about air quality, living conditions and infrastructure maintenance because they do not comply with the Mine Health and Safety Act.

However, Mining-affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) National Coordinator Sabelo Mnguni said enforcement alone could not resolve the underlying problem.

“The fundamental contradiction remains: South Africa has thousands of people trying to make a living from abandoned mines, old workings, dumps and marginal mineral deposits, but there is still no realistic pathway through which most artisanal miners can enter the legal mining economy,” Mnguni said.

He warned that criminal networks could exploit the regulatory vacuum.

“Where the state leaves a regulatory vacuum, criminal networks can move into that space, control access to workings, finance operations, purchase minerals and exploit vulnerable miners.”