A R462 million land reform project in Skeerpoort, originally meant to empower the Khutso Naketsi Communal Property Association, has effectively collapsed after being overrun by an estimated 450 heavily armed illegal miners, commonly known as zama-zamas.
The 1,923-hectare property, once seen as a flagship land restitution initiative, has reportedly been turned into a hub of organised criminal activity. Agricultural operations have been brought to a standstill, infrastructure has been stripped, and parts of the environment have suffered significant damage.
Efforts to revive the project had been initiated through a partnership between the CPA and Lifelong Resources Minerals, aimed at launching a legal gold prospecting operation to stimulate economic growth in the surrounding North West community. However, these plans have been derailed by armed syndicates that have entrenched themselves on the land and continue with illegal mining.
Authorities have since intervened through a joint operation by the South African National Defence Force and the South African Police Service under Operation PROSPER. Senior military leadership, including Godfrey Thulare, has conducted site inspections and is involved in operational planning.
The intervention aims to dismantle illegal mining networks, restore law and order, and reclaim the land so that the original goals of the land reform project — benefiting the local community — can still be realised.
