According to the latest council minutes, acting director of Works, Engineer Methusi Dibidi reported that the Khumalo borrow pit serves as the primary source of decomposed gravel for road construction, water and sewer bedding, and backfill materials across the eastern suburbs and the Central Business District (CBD).

“Its potential closure would leave only the Richmond and Pumula pits operational, drastically increasing haulage costs for city projects.

“However, the site has become a hotspot for illegal gold miners, whose dangerous excavations have created tunnels, destabilised the area, and caused severe environmental degradation.

“The continued presence of these miners endangers lives and infrastructure,” the minutes read, adding that conventional enforcement efforts by municipal rangers and police have failed.

The report further indicated that the council explored three unviable options before considering military intervention.

The council minutes also revealed that backfilling the pit would cost a staggering US$4.1 million over six months, requiring materials from unspecified sources beyond a 5km radius, a solution ultimately deemed futile as miners’ underground tunnels would circumvent the effort while crippling critical service delivery.

“Officials similarly dismissed perimeter barricades as ineffective for the 1 350-meter site, noting when there is gold, even a wall can be breached. The council further acknowledged that enhanced security measures remained unfeasible due to severe manpower and resource constraints,” reads the minutes.

New Ziana