Abstract
Abandoned gold mine sites are generally characterised by severe environmental problems and physical hazards. Because of socio-economic problems confronting communities around abandoned mine sites, historic and abandoned gold mines have become hot-spots for artisanal and small-scale miners. These mining activities at times thwart the efforts of rehabilitation at these sites. This article details how artisanal mining operations have frustrated rehabilitation efforts of abandoned mine shafts in the Sutherland goldfield. The field investigation of abandoned shafts and analysis of the nature of artisanal mining operations in the Sutherland goldfield revealed that artisanal mining involving digging around collars of sealed shafts is a major threat to the stability of the shafts and their sealing structures. In addition, artisanal mining operations have increased the safety risks of the abandoned shafts in the area. This has also been worsened by the fact that a large number of people, especially women and children, are exposed to the hazards of the abandoned mine sites. This article emphasises an urgent need for the development of holistic and cohesive strategies for dealing with the problems of abandoned gold mine shafts wherever they exist in the country as opposed to simply closing them up.
Highlights
In South Africa, the term ‘abandoned mines’ refers to those mines for which a closure certificate has not been issued and no party can be traced to assume responsibility for their liabilities
Because of the fact that the abandoned mine shafts in the Sutherland goldfield do not have structures such as head frames that can be used as an indicator of their presence and location, a systematic traversing around the abandoned mine sites was conducted
The section provides a detailed description of artisanal gold mining activities and their effects on the rehabilitation efforts of abandoned mine shafts in the Sutherland goldfield
Summary
In South Africa, the term ‘abandoned mines’ refers to those mines for which a closure certificate has not been issued and no party can be traced to assume responsibility for their liabilities. All the gold mines in the Sutherland goldfield have ceased operating and they were abandoned without any rehabilitation. The known mines that operated in the Sutherland goldfield (formerly known as the Giyani Greenstone Belt) include Klein Letaba, Louse Moore, Fumani, New Union ( known as Golden Osprey), Franke and Birthday. In all these mines, gold mining was carried out by small- to medium-scale underground mining operations. A small portion of the ore body at Franke Mine was mined by shallow open pits of an average depth of 25 m. Part of the pit was linked with underground mine workings; the mine is characterised by a huge, dangerous excavation that is filled with water
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