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An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents’ houses.

Late last year, a sophisticated illegal mining operation hit the Bapong village, bringing in massive excavators and heavy machinery.

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The miners dug across public spaces, into residents’ yards, outside schools and, in some cases, directly beneath people’s homes.

With the local government elections fast approaching, Eyewitness News is highlighting the challenges facing some of South Africa’s remote communities.

Deafening sounds of heavy machinery were the order of the day for Bapong village residents.

This, as excavators tore into public land, leaving behind a trail of destruction, massive, gaping pits, some plunging as far as ten metres down, now creep dangerously close to people’s homes.

For Nomawethu Jabavu, the destruction has swallowed her entire front yard from her front door.

One wrong step is all it takes to fall into the pit.

“I’m really scared for my children’s lives. What if they fall in while playing? I keep warning them that they could die if they fall in.”

The government has since handed over the village to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and police, who periodically monitor the area to prevent the syndicate from returning.

An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

ILLEGAL MINING SYNDICATE OFFERS VILLAGERS R100k

Some residents at a North West village have told Eyewitness News they were offered around R100,000 by an illegal mining syndicate to give up their homes. Late last year, the syndicate descended on chrome-rich Bapong village, digging for the mineral on public land. The illegal mining operation has left the community riddled with massive pits, some plunging as deep as 10 metres beneath the ground.

An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

What was once a village like any other in the country has been left scarred by massive pits dug into public land. In its search for the mineral buried metres beneath people’s homes, the illegal mining syndicate spared no space, digging into residents’ yards and right outside schools. Some yards have been encroached upon to such an extent that residents can no longer park their own cars on their properties. Resident Kholeka Mtya explained that some residents were offered money to give up their yards. “They would dig in our yards and then offer us money. When the police arrived, there were fights and they stopped digging. Some people never received their money, including me.”

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An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

Several homes are on the brink of collapse after an illegal mining syndicate in a North West village began digging beneath residents’ houses.For Jabavu, the destruction is a disaster waiting to happen as she fears for her children’s safety.

“I’m really scared for my children’s lives. What if they fall in while playing? I keep warning them that they could die if they fall in.”

An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

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An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

An illegal mining syndicate in a North West village has left several homes on the brink of collapse after digging beneath residents' houses. Picture: Simphiwe Nkosi/EWN

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