Kagiso Shutdown: Minister Bheki Cele Deploys AmaBherethe to Tackle Rampant Illegal Mining and Stop Zama Zamas

• Minister of Police Bheki Cele says AmaBherethe will be deployed in the community of Kagiso on Monday
• This comes after community members initiated a protest against illegal miners in the area and started enforcing vigilante justice
• South Africans have expressed that they are not happy with the police for failing to protect community members against zama zamas

JOHANNESBURG - Police Minister Bheki Cele has taken the decision to deploy the SAPS' specialised tactical unit, the AmaBherethe, to tackle the scourge of illegal miners (zama zamas) who have been terrorising the Kagiso community in the West Rand, Johannesburg.

The area has been plagued with criminal activity and illegal mining at abandoned mines in the area. Community members took to the streets last week to deal with zama zamas after they felt that police had failed to protect them.

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One person was killed during the protest and several men believed to be illegal miners were handed over to the police for arrest by community members, according to eNCA.

According to EWN, Cele visited West Village and Kagiso as part of a two-day imbizo and addressed the community members' grievances. Cele also mentioned that his department has partnered with the Department of Home Affairs and Mineral Resources to tackle illegal mining and criminal syndicates.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura recently stated that the province will work hard to ensure that illicit mining is eradicated in the province.

Here's what South Africans have to say about deploying AmaBherethe to tackle zama zamas:

@ncsapsband said:

"Can we afford to keep moving around Special Forces whenever there's a problem that can be solved by local police if better equipped and adequately trained and frequently undergoing refresher policing training courses?"

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@NyikoMaluleka said:

"Maybe is time to delegate the responsibility of dealing with crime to communities. Police should accept they are failing and have failed. You cannot solve a nationwide crisis by deploying crime-fighting units in one part of the country, just taking us for a ride."

@veli_brown said:

"There have been several videos on social media of Basotho guys boldly taunting AK 47s in the open and people had voiced their concern. The question is why did law enforcement authorities not act swiftly before these heinous crimes took place, they always react after."

@selwyn458 said:

"And what about the crime throughout the rest of the country? That just gets ignored. Cele just using this as political window dressing. Cele must get fired."

@JaffeJoffer16 said:

"They must go deploy in Benoni. By Benoni Gold Mine. The brothers are zamaring there strong. But, alas, it’s not like the police don’t know it."

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Misguided mob justice spurs Kagiso protesters to break into the homes of 19 foreign nationals

Kagiso shutdown: Residents break into homes of alleged Zama Zamas in spate of vigilantism

Briefly News previously reported that a protest in Kagiso turned violent on Thursday as angry residents broke into the homes of suspected illegal miners and assaulted them.

Frustrated with the high crime levels and disillusioned by the lack of police support, residents took to the streets to apprehend suspected illegal miners. The Gauteng police had to rescue 19 alleged undocumented immigrants as vigilantes took the law into their own hands.

Source: Briefly News