Mashaba calls for intervention to stop illegal mining under the City of Joburg

Johannesburg - Former Joburg mayor and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has called for urgent intervention from the national government in dealing with illegal mining in the City of Joburg.

Mashaba said during his time as mayor, he had written many letters to national authorities about the potential danger that illegal mining posed for the residents of Joburg.

Mashaba said while the explosion under Bree Street last week could not be directly linked to illegal mining, he was concerned that the illegal underground activities and the use of explosives and gas by illegal miners could one day lead to a catastrophe for the city.

“Companies such as Sasol and Transnet approached me when I was mayor about their concerns, and I tried intervening as the mayor at the time. There is a petrol line near FNB Stadium, and if that thing explodes, that could lead to a catastrophe that we cannot imagine,” Mashaba said.

Mashaba said he was concerned that there was not much emphasis on maintaining the infrastructure of the City of Joburg. He said the City was old, and maintenance had to be done to ensure that the infrastructure did not decay.

“The ANC government has not been maintaining the infrastructure; instead, they have been busy changing street names; we do not even know if that street where the explosion happened is Bree or Lillian Ngoyi Street,” he said.

Mashaba said ActionSA would place the rejuvenation of cities at the top of its manifesto leading up to the national and provincial elections next year.

“Joburg was a world-class African city; I sometimes try and explain this to my daughter, who was born in 1994, but now it has become a slum. What the ANC should have done was to make sure that all South Africans benefit from the inner city, not what has happened to the City,” he said.

Mashaba further warned that there could be more danger lurking in the inner city over buildings that have not been maintained because they have been hijacked or have no owners.

“Illegal foreigners have taken over some of these buildings, and when I was mayor, I worked hard to reclaim some of them and put them to good use,” he said.

The Star

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