Francistown is grappling with a fresh wave of illegal gold mining activities and there are fears that it could be fueled by an influx of Zimbabwean immigrants into the city who are escaping anti-immigrants tensions in South Africa.
Anti-immigration protests and marches targeting undocumented foreign nationals have erupted across major South African cities like Johannesburg, Cape town and Durban led by citizen groups such as March and March and Dudula Operation. Demonstrators are demanding the South African government to deport illegal immigrants and to enforce strict border controls. Some protests have led to violence and intimidation forcing thousands of immigrants from countries such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Mozambique out of that country.The violence and attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa has been widely classified by human rights organizations, the United Nations and international organizations as ‘xenophobic’.
Information reaching the Sunday Standard suggests that police in Francistown have identified fresh illegal mining activities in Francistown and the surrounding villages particularly Matsiloje, Patayamatebele and Matshelagabedi.
Francistown which is a historic gold mining town and its surroundings has over the years experienced illegal gold mining activities mainly from undocumented Zimbabwean nationals targeting old disused shafts. This escalated into a major national security and economic concern. The unregulated miners commonly referred to as ‘Zama Zamas’ similar to the illegal mining syndicates in South Africa use metal detectors and basic tools to extract gold under highly hazardous conditions. Devoid of protective gear, these illegal miners navigate structurally unstable deep shafts which sometimes result in collapse related fatalities.
However several efforts to contact the Officer Commanding No.1 District, Senior Superintendent Paul Chaluza to confirm these allegations last week were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was not answered.
A highly placed source within the law enforcement authorities revealed to the Sunday Standard that they have identified new illegal mining holes in some areas of the city such as Selepa, Matsiloje and Patayamatebele.
‘We are already experiencing an influx of illegal immigrants into the city and we believe that most of them are fleeing from South Africa amid anti-immigrant tensions in that country. Most of them are of Zimbabwean origin and possibilities are high that they are the ones re-igniting a surge in illegal mining activities. Remember South Africa has also been under siege from illegal immigrants engaged in illegal mining popularly known as the ‘Zama Zamas,’ said the source. He however said initially they had been making progress in the fight against illegal mining.
Last year the law enforcement which includes the Botswana Defence Force(BDF) and the Botswana Police Services(BPS) were deployed in the area conducting patrols and made hundreds of arrests. The operation dubbed ‘Operation Kamani’ led to a significant reduction of illegal mining activities.
While anti-migrant tensions increased pressure on foreigners in South Africa, the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs in Botswana announced that there was no unusual border crossings or influxes. Meanwhile, Botswana government has also stated that it will not serve as an open sanctuary for those fleeing neighbouring unrest. The government further said individuals arriving without proper documentation are not processed as conventional refugees but are instead, assisted with safe return to their home countries.