By Daniel Perez – News Editor
Residential Foundations Undercut by Excavations
An illegal mining syndicate in the chrome-rich North West village of Bapong has pushed several residential properties to the brink of collapse. Operating late last year, the illicit operation deployed heavy machinery and excavators across public spaces, school perimeters, and private yards. The result: massive, gaping pits plunging up to ten metres deep directly beneath family homes.
Cash Bribes and Confrontations
As the heavy equipment tore through local land, syndicate members offered payouts of around R100,000 to surrender their properties.
Resident Kholeka Mtya recounted the brazen encroachment to Eyewitness News. “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,” Mtya said.
Peril at the Front Door for Bapong Families
The unauthorized extraction has stripped away entire front yards, leaving sheer, unsecured drops immediately outside front entrances and rendering the properties completely inaccessible to vehicles.
Nomawethu Jabavu described the constant terror facing her household as the cavernous trenches creep toward her doorstep. “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,” Jabavu told Eyewitness News.
Forces Monitor Area to Deter Syndicate Return
Faced with widespread devastation and acute community endangerment, the government has transferred control of the Bapong village area to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the police service. Armed forces and law enforcement now maintain a periodic monitoring presence on the ground to deter the syndicate from returning and resuming the subterranean operations.
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