Work opportunities and infrastructure development are increasing across South Africa, resulting in increased activity across the quarry industry and a growing demand for earthmoving and surface mining equipment.

“The acquisition of new earthmoving and surface mining equipment is starting to increase, along with infrastructure growth; previously, industries favoured the refurbishment of equipment,” notes Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa) director Nico Pienaar.

“To ensure continuous growth, South Africa needs to increase its infrastructure development,” he says, adding that, if government were too release more funding for infrastructure projects, the demand for earthmoving and surface mining machinery would increase with economic growth.

Pienaar points out that, while South Africa is experiencing growth, it is not increasing at the required rate, owing to the slow roll-out of projects promised by the Presidency in the 2013 Budget. “There is a need for urgency in South Africa to ensure growth, and the sectors in which urgent improvement is needed are well known,” he says, citing power stations, dams and roads as examples.

Aspasa adds that there is a huge drive to stop illegal mining, which hinders growth in the mining industry, owing to unfair competition. The association joined a committee started by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) early this year.

The committee was established by the DMR one year ago to combat illegal gold mining and has now been extended to include illegal quarrying.

“Government is realising that aggregate and sand are valuable minerals in need of protection,” Pienaar notes. Aggregate and sand are classified as minerals and therefore the industry has to pay in terms of the Royalty Act.

The City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality also started a committee at the beginning of this year to stop illegal sand mining, after it found that illegal miners had been removing huge pieces of earth from housing and building sites with earthmoving machinery. The municipality called all its subdepartments, such as the Tshwane Metro Police Department and the Tshwane Housing and Human Settlements Department, to form part of the committee, which pulls over trucks to ensure they are not transporting illegal goods. The DMR plays a crucial role in this committee

Pienaar adds that Ekurhuleni and the western part of Gauteng are also planning to establish similar committees, which will devise plans and developmental policies to curb illegal mining.

Illegal Quarrying Damaging
Aspasa notes that illegal quarrying poses threats to the health and safety of the people who carry out these activities for minimum wages and who are not equipped with proper safety gear and knowledge.

“Illegal mineworkers use old, outdated machinery that does not comply with safety standards and is hazardous to those operating it. These workers are also not complying with the health and safety standards set out for the operation of earthmoving equipment. In addition, environmental compliance is not adhered to, posing a further threat to communities,” Pienaar adds.

“Sand and aggregate are often mined in areas planned for housing or community development, leaving the whole area damaged. Subsequently, communities dump their rubbish in these holes, rendering them dumpsites,” he explains, adding that these holes are often filled with water, which put cattle and children at risk of drowning.

Pienaar points out that the prosecution of illegal mine- workers has also been problematic, as the regulatory system does not acknowledge the seriousness of illegal mining by allowing for serious legal penalties to be imposed on the guilty parties.

“When illegal miners are arrested, they are usually set free the next day. Therefore, the DMR is assisting the South African Police Service to prepare proper charge sheets and explain the seriousness of illegal mining to magistrates and prosecutors,” he states.

Pienaar told Mining Weekly in September 2012 that the informal mining industry comprised not only illegal mineworkers but also those who obtain short-term mining licences – a common occurrence when securing materials for short-term projects, such as road building.

“While this is a short-term infrastructure solution, compliance with environmental rehabilitation regulations still applies; but many companies leave sites unrehabilitated,” said Pienaar.

He added that, generally, infor- mal quarry miners are in the vicinity of established quarries, but still apply for short-term mining rights and establish new quarries to acquire building materials, as they believe it is more affordable.

“We have been fighting this problem for many years – if there is a quarry in the vicinity of an infrastructure project, building materials should be acquired from that quarry, instead of digging a new hole and risking environmental damage.

“If you don’t have quarries, you cannot build a country. Aggregate and sand are the basic materials needed for the construction of every infrastructure project and, therefore, there will always be a demand for quarries in South Africa,” Pienaar concludes.