Mashatile defends JCPS strategy as MPs question failures in illegal mining

2026-03-05 - 19:23

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) committee will now be taking a more proactive, intelligence-driven approach to deal with illegal mining. Addressing the National Council of Provinces (Ncop) during a question-and-answer session in parliament on Thursday, Mashatile concurred that policing has been reactive rather than proactive. This was in response to EFF MP Mothusi Montwedi, who told the deputy president that he must agree that he is part of a reactive government that failed to proactively deal with acts of criminality but instead replies to wrongdoing with “expensive commissions”. Earlier in the session, Mashatile mentioned the government was intensifying intelligence-driven operations under initiatives such as Operation Vala Umgodi. Questions over government’s response to illegal mining Motswedi said intelligence-led interventions only gained momentum after hundreds of families were forcibly displaced by armed syndicates on the West Rand, despite numerous early warnings from residents. “You said you are intensifying intelligence-led systems, now I want to find out; deputy president, can you specifically explain why?” Montwedi asked. “And why have you not tabled a full forensic assessment on the collapse of early warning intelligence systems in the Gauteng mining belt?” In January, hundreds of residents fled the Sporong informal settlement on the West Rand after illegal mining gangs infiltrated the area. The residents left the comfort of their homes behind and sought refuge at a community hall in Randfontein to escape the violence. Responding to Montwedi, Mashatile – who is also the chairperson of the JCPS – said the committee will be addressing the “weaknesses of the past”. “I’m sure you’ll agree with me, or let me say I agree with you as well, that there’s nothing that beats intelligence-driven... because you’re not shooting in the dark. You know what you’re dealing with. You know where the problem is, and you can act timelessly,” Mashatile said. “And that’s what I’m emphasising today, that that’s the approach we are taking. So we’re not just going to send out all these forces out there, including the army, just in the dark; they are going to go exactly where the problem is and deal with it.” Mashatile added that he believed this approach would bring quick results. Effectiveness of SANDF deployment questioned DA MP Nicola du Plessis said the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was deployed to the West Rand to deal with the same crisis in 2022, and the suspects arrested during that time had not been convicted. Three years later, the SANDF is being deployed to the same area to deal with the same crisis, she noted. “What effective and impactful actions has the JCPS committee achieved in the past three years in tackling illegal mining and the related social ills, as well as ensuring convictions of those criminals?” du Plessis asked. ALSO READ: ‘Just doing things without much success’: MPs gatvol with efforts to eliminate illegal mining ‘Coordinated’ criminal justice system Not providing a direct answer, Mashatile said one of the weaknesses in the country is that the criminal justice system is not coordinated. He said the committee’s focus is set on integrating the system to yield “properly coordinated” results. “I’m confident that a coordinated approach that we’re embarking on is going to give us results from the JCPS. We ensure that the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure has structures at the provincial level going down, so that the security cluster must work as a team, including ensuring that the judiciary and the court system is with us.” Measures to tackle corruption in Saps During the session, Mashatile also addressed the measures adopted and implemented by the government to detect and prevent corruption in the South African Police Service (Saps). He said the JCPS cluster continues to intensify internal controls and accountability through Saps’ Ethics Management Strategy and Fraud and Corruption Prevention Strategy. “To strengthen detection of wrongdoing, Saps has enhanced whistleblower protection through National Instruction 18 of 2019: Integrity Management, enabling safe reporting through platforms such as the National Anti-Corruption Hotline, internal ethics lines, and oversight bodies including the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, the Public Protector, and the Auditor General,” the deputy president said. Mashatile also mentioned the use of technological tools such as CCTV in high-risk areas. Questions raised about effectiveness of anti-corruption measures DA MP Richard Ryder said the implemented measures indicated that the JCPS knew the extent of the corruption in Saps but failed to let South Africans know. “Or alternatively, the criminal justice system has collapsed under your watch, in spite of all of these measures being put in place. Which one is it?” Dyer asked. In response, Mashatile said he wanted to make sure that people are not under the impression that there was no action before the Madlanga commission, which is probing allegations of criminality, corruption and political interference within the criminal justice system. He said the commission is revealing the loopholes of these measures and that they need tightening. NOW READ: Ramaphosa wants ‘full picture’ before deciding Mchunu’s fate