Gun battle between illegal miners terrifies Benoni residents
Residents living near Golden Drive and New Modder mining sites in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, endured another night of fear on Wednesday as a violent shoot-out erupted between rival gangs of illegal miners.
Benoni City Times reports that according to messages shared on a local community WhatsApp group, the gunfire began at around 17:30 and continued into the evening, sending families into panic as shots rang out just meters from their homes.
'It sounds like living in the Gaza Strip,' one resident wrote, comparing the intensity of the gunfire to a war zone.
Others echoed the sentiment, saying the noise was so loud it felt like bullets were flying outside their windows.
Local security company Hlasela Tactical responded to distress calls from residents at around 20:30, deploying three vehicles, including a large armoured vehicle, to the scene.
Jacques Olivier of Hlasela Tactical says when they arrived, they saw illegal miners shooting recklessly from the mine dumps near homes in New Modder.
He says the violence stemmed from clashes between rival illegal mining gangs, believed to include Basotho nationals and other factions. They reportedly are fighting over control of recently sealed-off mining shafts after DMR, police and security forces shut down several illegal operations earlier this year as part of a government crackdown. Newly dug mine shafts have been reported.
'Various groups are clashing for control. We did not intervene in the gunfight but chased those shooting too close to the community,' says Olivier.
Residents encouraged each other to contact the Benoni SAPS during the incident, but it is alleged that no police responded to the scene.
Olivier says they saw police vehicles in other areas and expressed concern over the SAPS's absence.
'The police are putting the public at risk by not showing up. These miners are not just shooting in the area, they are robbing people too. And this is all happening next to Benoni CBD,' he says.
Thanks to Hlasela Tactical's intervention, residents said the situation calmed down enough by late evening for them to get some sleep.
This is not the first time the community has raised concerns about the lack of response from local authorities.
In June 2023, Benoni City Times reported similar allegations after a business along Golden Drive complained of police inaction despite repeated calls for help.
An employee from the company, speaking anonymously, claimed police officers admitted to fearing the miners, citing the criminals' access to heavy weaponry and explosives.
Police refutes claims
Benoni SAPS spokesperson Captain Nomsa Sekele refuted claims that police never arrived at the mining site.
'Police officers were deployed to the area after receiving complaints via the 10111 emergency number. They did not enter the mining site because it was too dark and dangerous.
'The SAPS Ekurhuleni District sent backup, including the Public Order Police Unit, K9 Unit, Flying Squad and crime prevention officers, who patrolled around the Van Ryn mining site.'
Sekele says they received no reports regarding the discovery of bodies of illegal miners following the shoot-out.
She reiterated the police are continuing efforts to curb illegal mining activities in Benoni through ongoing operations, including Operation Vala Mgodi.
The Golden Drive and New Modder sites have been a hotspot for illegal mining for years, because of their network of abandoned mineshafts.
In January, SAPS deputy district commissioner Brigadier Lebohang Machakela announced a partnership with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to seal off illegal shafts as part of Operation Vala Mgodi (Close the Holes).
The operation, launched on January 27, concluded in March, but residents say the violence has not stopped.
Residents are once again calling for urgent police intervention before more lives are lost or innocent residents get caught in the crossfire.
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