The City of Johannesburg has recorded an increase in illegal mining activities, which include tunnelling on the road reserve, below road surfaces and excavations of bridge embankments in recent years. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The City of Johannesburg has recorded an increase in illegal mining activities, which include tunnelling on the road reserve, below road surfaces and excavations of bridge embankments in recent years.
The damage to water and road infrastructure have predominantly been in the central, south and west of Johannesburg, said city spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane.
“The nature of operation of illegal mining traverses water and sewer networks, bridges and roads and other infrastructure. Most of the operation is remote, so encounters with the infrastructure are often not visible or reported,” he said, adding that this affects Johannesburg Water’s ability to timeously respond to repairs.
When sewer lines are damaged and blocked, it causes contamination of water courses. “There is also the possibility of cross contamination, where a sewer line or spill enters a
reticulated water pipeline,” Modingoane said. This can have serious health consequences for people who drink the contaminated water, Modingoane said.
The “intrusive trenching” of the illegal artisanal miners also destabilise earthworks around pipework, which can damage or cause it to collapse.
“Weakening the earth in and around pipes results in potential sinkholes and unstable ground, risking the safety of the immediate surrounds including Joburg Water teams who may be doing repair works.”
For the safety of the public, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) is “continually monitoring” the following high-risk areas, in which bridge embankments, roads or road reserves are damaged by illegal mining and excavations:
- John and Cnr Earp/Webber streets, Selby (full closure)
- M2 bridge embankment, Selby (affected road reserve barricaded)
- M1 Booysens bridge offramp and embankment (affected road reserve barricaded)
- Wemmer Pan Road and Turf Sider Road, Turffontein (closed)
- Dolly Rathebe Street and corner Central Road, Fordsburg (affected road reserve barricaded)
- Kliprivier Drive and Webb Street, West Turffontein (affected road reserve barricaded)
- Daleham Street and Cnr Boswell Street, Mondeor (affected road reserve barricaded)
- 5th Street and corner Platinum Street, Booysens Reserve (affected road reserve barricaded)
Johannesburg Water has not conducted a thorough analysis but the reported areas affected by illegal mining have been in the Roodepoort area, he said. These are not limited to Fleurhof, Maraisburg, Matholiesville/Goudrand, Robertville, Jerusalema, Florida Lake, Durban Deep, Sol Plaatje, Riverlea and Johannesburg’s central business district.
Financial costs
According to Modingoane, the JRA and Johannesburg Water have not quantified the effect of illegal mining on their infrastructure citywide but “are in the process of doing so”. Thi will take time because costs vary from job to job, point repair of sewer or water or entire pipe replacements, rebuilding building roads or bridges and backfilling and stabilising sinkholes.
The costs also include plants and equipment and the establishment of access roads to the points of repair. This is because it is “often found that the activity of the illegal mining results in serious earthworks and thus destruction of the terrains”.
The financial consequences include the costs associated with rehabilitation of the environment, particularly if bioremediation (using living organisms, such as microbes and bacteria to remove contaminants, pollutants, and toxins) and odour control are needed, where sewer infrastructure is damaged and water courses are contaminated.
Modingoane added that both the JRA and Johannesburg Water work with the Johannesburg metropolitan police and South African Police Services.