- To
-
Veronica Van Dyk
- From
-
Ernist Oosthuizen
- Subject
- Kleinzee ilegal diamond digging.
- Date
- Sept. 10, 2018, 4:03 p.m.
THE GOVERNMENT TURNS A BLIND EYE?
ILEGAL DIAMOND DIGGING AND TRADING IN ROUGH/UNCUT DIAMONDS IN NAMAQUALAND, NORTHERN CAPE, RSA.
What has happened to the LAW in our country?
Can anybody just override the law or allow criminals to do as they please?
If I threaten the SAP and their family will they just give in and let me do anything unlawful like dealing in drugs, child pornography, human trafficking WHAT els.
Under the Diamonds Act of 1986, it was made illegal to possess such diamonds without a license to mine, cut, polish or market them.
Such license are purchased from the government through the South African Diamond Board, which was set up by the act to monitor and control the lucrative diamond trade.
The board also ensures that gems bought and sold in commodity-rich South Africa are certified by the Kimberley Process, a watchdog set up seven years ago to prevent the trade of conflict, or "blood", diamonds.
The penalty for those in possession of an unpolished or uncut diamond without a license is 10 years imprisonment or a R250 000 (£22,000) fine or both.
But the act also allows for those who come across such diamonds by accident – it declares that they "shall forthwith take that diamond to the nearest police station and deliver it to the member of the South African Police on duty".
What has happened to de Beers (Anglo) the DMR (SA Government) and the SAP that they can just look the other way and allow this to happen?
The Media local radio broadcaster NFM, SABC TV (FOKUS) has broadcasted a one sided and pathetic sympathetic story of illegal diamond diggers.
This is now happening in the small quite coastal town Kleinzee. Kleinzee previously a closed de Beers mining town has now turned into an illegal mining for anybody from anywhere.
The largest percentage of residents of Kleinzee are people the invested their life savings to retire and live in a quite peaceful town. These residents and property owners are losing their life investments in property value less people are interested in investing in Kleinzee.
At least 90% of these illegal diggers are aliens (non residents) to Kleinzee, they come from allover in search of uncertain riches.
We hope and pray that this story will get to the right people that will do something to stop this madness, before the 14th life is lost.
What can we do to save our town?
- From
-
Veronica Van Dyk
- Date
- Sept. 12, 2018, 11:13 a.m.
Thank you for your letter.
The DA is attending from our side to this, indeed, very serious matter. We
have written to the Minister of Police , as well as the Minister of Mining
to intervene.
We will continue to do what we can to assist the community of Kleinzee and
residents and we do not support the illegal mining that is happening. See
media statement of today.
*DA amplifies call for police reinforcements in Kleinzee to Minister of
Police *
12 September 2018
Release: immediate
The Democratic Alliance in the Northern Cape has amplified our call for
police reinforcements to be urgently sent to Kleinzee in Namaqualand, to
National Minister of Police, Bheki Cele.
This comes amidst a concerning boom in illegal diamond mining in the area,
that is seeing hundreds of miners moving in and setting up base in the
quiet town on the skeleton coast.
Busloads of people from the Western Cape have been ferried in to the area
to come and sift for diamonds. Miners who work in the Kathu mines, are also
being brought in on their off days, to work in shifts. In fact, in the
course of this week alone, at least 500 vehicles and 1000 people,
participating in illegal diamond mining activity, could be counted at a
time.
Miners are carrying bags of gravel away with them, setting up sifting
points on the towns beaches and even in its salt pans. They are also
sleeping along the beach. There are no ablution facilities and illegal
miners have been entering the properties of residents, when they are not at
home. In the past week, there have also been break-ins at the local school
and the gun club.
It’s a free for all and residents are feeling unsafe.
The picture has changed significantly from one of desperate locals, placing
their lives at risk in unsafe tunnels to put bread on the table, to a
massive showdown of orchestrated crime syndicates, who are now taking
advantage of the under-policed diamond rich area.
This comes just more than two weeks, after two illegal diamond miners died
after the tunnel from which they were collecting gravel to sieve, fell in
on them.
The illegal mining poses a danger to the lives of miners and residents, it
is also a risk to the environment, as no one is accountable for