MIDVAAL Mayor Peter Teixeira has accused illegal miners of using his town as a hiding place from law enforcement agencies.
Talking during an interview at local radio station 90.6FM, he said this was becoming a problem and affecting municipal services to the community as zama zamas were flocking to the township.
The mayor also said another challenge was illegal and undocumented people who were flocking to Sicelo squatter camp.
According to Teixeira, during community service delivery protests, undocumented people were the ones at the front.
“When there’s a protest, they close the R59 road and damage properties,” he said.
In recent weeks, zama zamas have been arrested for illegal activities across other provinces, leading to many coming to Sicelo to hide, said the mayor.
He said that good municipality service delivery had made people relocate to Midvaal, and zama zamas were taking advantage of the settlement as it mostly had Basotho nationals.
Midvaal spokeswoman Mokgadi Satikhe said through the municipal investigation, zama zamas from the West Rand and other criminal syndicates were flocking to Sicelo to hide. They then illegally connected electricity, placing the lives of other residents at risk.
Satikhe said the municipality was working closely with Community Policing Forums and the police to patrol the area and curb criminal activities.
