ATM calls illegal mining a national security threat after SANDF deaths

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has urged Parliament to urgently review Operation Vala Umgodi after the deaths of two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members during an anti-illegal mining operation, saying illegal mining has developed into a national security threat.

Party seeks parliamentary engagement

In a letter to the Portfolio Committee on Police, ATM Parliamentary Leader Vuyo Zungula asked for an urgent parliamentary engagement on illegal mining, the effectiveness of Operation Vala Umgodi and the growing threat from organised illegal mining syndicates.

Zungula said:

“Illegal mining has evolved far beyond isolated criminal activity. It has become a sophisticated and highly organised criminal enterprise involving heavily armed syndicates, illicit financial networks, cross-border criminal organisations, environmental destruction, infrastructure damage, tax evasion, corruption and the exploitation of vulnerable communities.”

From crime issue to policing and security challenge

The ATM argues that the tactics used by some criminal groups show they can confront law enforcement with military-style tactics. Zungula said:

“Increasingly, these criminal groups possess the capacity to confront law enforcement agencies with military-style tactics, demonstrating that this is no longer merely a mining issue but a serious policing and national security challenge.”

The party pointed to the deaths of two SANDF members during an operation linked to illegal mining as evidence of the risks faced by security personnel. Zungula said:

“The loss of soldiers deployed in support of domestic law enforcement demonstrates that illegal mining has escalated into a direct threat to the authority of the State.”

Questions for Operation Vala Umgodi

The ATM said Operation Vala Umgodi which involves the South African Police Service (SAPS), SANDF, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), the Border Management Authority and other agencies required closer parliamentary scrutiny.

Among the matters the ATM wants addressed are whether the operation is achieving its objectives, whether sufficient resources and intelligence are being deployed, and whether enforcement activity is dismantling criminal networks or only temporarily disrupting them.

The party requested that the Portfolio Committee receive an assessment of the operation’s outcomes, including whether illegal mining has declined in identified hotspots, the number of criminal syndicates dismantled, and whether financiers, organisers and alleged kingpins are being successfully prosecuted.

Calls for agency briefings and wider scrutiny

Zungula asked that Parliament hear briefings from a list of national and local bodies: the Police Minister, the SAPS national commissioner, the SANDF, NATJOINTS, Crime Intelligence, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Border Management Authority, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, the Council for Geoscience, and the City of Johannesburg and Johannesburg Roads Agency.

He also sought scrutiny of intelligence coordination between SAPS, Crime Intelligence, NATJOINTS and the SANDF, whether officers deployed in high-risk operations have sufficient resources and support, the circumstances surrounding the SANDF deaths, the role of corruption, border security measures and whether legislative or operational reforms are needed.

Economic and public safety concerns

Zungula said illegal mining continued to deprive the country of mineral wealth and tax revenue while undermining the rule of law, threatening public safety and placing SAPS and SANDF members in increasingly dangerous situations. The ATM also raised concerns about underground instability from illegal and historical mining activity and its impact on public infrastructure.