As gold prices surge, West Africa mine operators launch drones to detect wildcat miners
The team confiscated seven diesel-powered water pumps and a "chanfan" processing unit used to extract gold from riverbeds. The high-tech cat-and-mouse game is playing out with increasing frequency as record gold prices, now sitting above $3,300 (R59,639,18) per ounce, draw more unofficial activity - intensifying sometimes deadly confrontations between corporate concessions and artisanal miners in West Africa, according to dozens of mining executives and industry experts interviewed by Reuters.
"Because of the vegetation cover, if you don't have eyes in the air, you won't know something destructive is happening," explains Edwin Asare, Gold Fields Tarkwa Mine's head of protection services. "It's like you first get eyes in the sky to help you put boots on the ground.' Almost 20 illicit miners have been killed in confrontations at major mining operations across the region since late 2024, including at Newmont and AngloGold Ashanti's sites in Ghana and Guinea and Nordgold's Bissa Mine in Burkina Faso.
There have been no reports of official mine staff injured. In some cases, clashes at corporate mines caused production halts of up to a month, prompting companies to press governments for more military protection.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
12 hours ago
- IOL News
Community leaders call for action against illegal cannabis stores in Chatsworth
Residents said outlets were "freely selling" cannabis products close to schools and religious organisations. Image: Reuters COMMUNITY leaders in Chatsworth are urging authorities to take action against the proliferation of illegal cannabis stores, highlighting concerns about public safety and the impact on local youth. They said outlets were "freely selling" cannabis products close to schools and religious organisations. This comes soon after Mmamoloko Kubayi, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, confirmed that regulations required for the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act to be implemented would be finalised by March 2026. In a parliamentary response to DA MP Tobias Chance, Kubayi said the Act could only be implemented once her department had received feedback from all concerned departments. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ These include the departments of health; agriculture; trade, industry and competition; social development; small business and development, the Presidency, and the SAPS. Yugen Pillay, chairperson of the Chatsworth Community Policing Forum (CPF), said despite the use of cannabis being decriminalised for private use, the public needed to remember that the sale of cannabis was still illegal. 'People are openly selling cannabis. The law regarding the sale of cannabis is quite clear. I have tried many times to get law enforcement to act on this, but they are still awaiting direction from their legal department. A directive that was unfortunately not forthcoming. 'It seems that the legal departments cannot decipher the legislation, and in the meantime, these stores are mushrooming all over. 'The use of cannabis can act as a gateway drug, and because it is so easily available, more and more people are using it. We are calling on the police to clamp down on these stores and start shutting them down," said Pillay. He said SAPS had issued a stern warning that the establishment of illegal dispensaries or outlets, online sites and social media platforms, which are marketing and selling cannabis and cannabis-related products to the public, remained illegal, except where specifically allowed in terms of the Medicines and Related Substances Act. 'Despite warnings, cannabis stores continue to open everywhere. Some of these illegal businesses, purporting to operate legally, are also being sold to members of the public as franchises authorised to deal in cannabis and cannabis-related products. 'Dealing in cannabis remains a serious criminal offence. Police are mandated to and will act, not only against businesses that sell cannabis illegally, but also against the customers who buy these products." Cyril Pillay, the chairperson of the Chatsworth Spiritual Crime Prevention Forum, said: "The increase in cannabis stores in our community is adding to all the social ills we are facing. It is compounding our problems and leading to the degradation of our society. This is also adding to the social economic challenges that already exist. 'People are complacent and due to poor monitoring, we have more than one cannabis store per area. We need proper monitoring and more police operations to curb this." Denzil Devan, a community leader in Mobeni Heights, said the sharp increase in cannabis stores across communities highlighted a significant gap in legislation. 'While liquor outlets are bound by strict zoning laws, such as maintaining a set distance from schools, cannabis stores are exploiting the absence of similar regulations, allowing them to operate virtually anywhere. This loophole poses serious concerns for public safety and urban planning,' he added. Devan said it was more concerning that outlets have included smoking lounges and cannabis bars. 'Many of these outlets have evolved into cannabis smoking lounges or cannabis bars, which likely goes far beyond what Parliament intended when it moved to decriminalise cannabis for personal use and regulate products like cannabis oil and hemp. Without clear policy direction and enforcement, we risk creating unregulated environments that normalise public consumption and weaken community standards." Jakes Singh, the former chairperson of the Chatsworth CPF, said various cannabis stores have opened near schools and religions institutions over the last two years. 'Not enough checks are done. While a few of the stores are operating legally, most are illegal. Tuck-shops are even selling cannabis. Stores are mushrooming everywhere. Raids are done, and regulators are visiting to check, but it is not done all the time. Too many loopholes are leading to the increase of cannabis stores,' said Singh. Colonel Booysie Zungu, the spokesperson for metro police, said the rapid increase of unlicenced cannabis stores and dispensaries within the municipal area was a serious concern. 'We are working together to identify and dismantle illegal cannabis operations, including unregistered dispensaries, storage facilities, and unlicenced retail stores. These establishments often operate outside the boundaries of national legislation, posing a threat to public health and safety. 'This is in line with our crime prevention mandate and the provisions of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act and Medicines and Related Substances Act. 'We are committed to enforcing municipal bylaws, disrupting illegal trade, and working to ensure that all cannabis-related businesses comply with applicable laws. We encourage the public to report suspicious activity through official channels." Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, the chief executive officer of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra), said cannabis dispensaries were mushrooming and blatantly displaying copies of Sahpra licences, which were issued authorising cannabis cultivation and exporting of the cannabis flower. "Such licences do not authorise these so-called cannabis dispensaries. This is a matter of concern," said Semete-Makokotlela in a statement. 'It is highly unethical and illegal for any individual or company to claim Sahpra authorisation through forged documentation. We take this matter seriously, and we will work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders are dealt with swiftly and decisively. The public must be protected from such deceptive behaviour." Sahpra warned the public to be vigilant and cautious when engaging with service providers that claimed to be licenced by the authority. Semete-Makokotlela said Sahpra wasin the process of sourcing a system that used barcoding as a means of authenticating these certificates. If you suspect that a provider is using a fraudulent Sahpra licence, you can call the authority on 0800 204 307. THE POST
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
Thai military reports more clashes with Cambodia, says artillery and rockets fired
BANGKOK, July 25 (Reuters) - Clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops took place along their border for a second day early on Friday, with Cambodia using heavy weapons including artillery and rockets, Thailand's military said.
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Cycling's war on hidden motors at Tour de France goes undercover
Cycling authorities are not only policing against doping in the peloton, but also against 'mechanical doping'. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has intensified its fight against mechanical doping, employing intelligence-driven methods to combat increasingly sophisticated alleged cheating in professional cycling. Once, inspectors relied on random X-rays and magnetic scans to catch offenders. Now, the UCI is borrowing tactics from law enforcement – building confidential sources, mapping risk profiles and monitoring bike changes in real time – to stay ahead in what officials call a technological arms race. Mechanical doping – riders using concealed motors – first gained attention in 2010 and led to the six-year ban of Belgium's Femke Van den Driessche after a Bluetooth-controlled motor was discovered in her seat tube at a cyclo-cross event. Since then, the UCI has expanded its detection arsenal, now employing daily checks of up to 60 bikes during the Tour de France. All bikes have passed the checks since the Tour started in Lille on 5 July. 'We have the ability… to go further with our examinations, whether that's a partial dismantlement of the bike to look into certain components, act upon suspicions, act upon information that we have,' Nick Raudenski, the UCI head of the Fight Against Technological Fraud, told Reuters on Wednesday. Raudenski, a former criminal investigator with the US Department of Homeland Security, took over in May 2024 and immediately pushed for a new approach. 'Bike controls, it's something that I've always equated anytime that I've done speeches or done training. It's like throwing your hook out in the middle of a lake trying to catch fish,' he said. 'If you don't have a strategy, if you're not informed about how to catch fish, what time of day, what kind of fish, where you can catch fish.' Think like a fraudster Part of that strategy is to think like the cheats. 'My idea is to put myself in the shoes of a fraudster. How would I do this and how would I get away with it? And that's part of my background as a criminal investigator – to try to think about not what we know, but what we don't know,' he said. The challenge is relentless innovation. 'It's a bit of a technological arms race. Components are getting lighter, smaller. Easier to conceal, which is harder to detect,' Raudenski said. 'And so, trying to stay ahead of what's potentially possible is always a challenge.' For Raudenski, the mission is clear: keep fans believing in the sport. 'People still need to believe, at least from the technological fraud side, that they're not climbing a stage like yesterday, and people just immediately think, 'oh, well, they must be on a motor',' he said. 'Knowing that our processes are in place, that we're conducting the controls that we're doing, that there is that insurance that the enforcement controls that we have in place, that doesn't happen at this level.' Reuters/DM
