KRUGERSDORP, South Africa (AP) — Community members in the South African town of Krugersdorp beat suspected illegal miners with sticks and set fire to their camps on Thursday following the alleged gang rapes of eight women last week by more than 80 men, some of whom are suspected minors.
Residents of Kagiso township in Krugersdorp also barricaded roads with rocks and burning tires during a protest against the presence of the miners. They say they are frustrated with the high levels of crime in the area which they blame on illegal miners and the inability of the police to deal with them.
Some suspected illegal miners were stripped of their clothes and whipped by locals. Residents chased others from their camps, beat and kicked them before handing them over to the police. In some cases, minors were rescued from protesters by the police.
Police responded by firing rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse protesters, who also clashed with officers.
“We want the support of the police because illegal miners terrorize us. We can’t just walk around the neighborhood at night because they are raping us,” said Nhlanhla Felatsi, who was part of the protest. “We recently had an incident where two female security guards were raped by the same people. The police do not protect us.
Eight women were allegedly raped last Thursday when a television crew filming a music video at a mining dump in nearby West Village Township was attacked by heavily armed men, some suspected of being illegal miners. Police said they were investigating 32 counts of rape.
The attack was a shocking incident, even for a country accustomed to high levels of violent crime like South Africa. More than 80 men accused of being involved in the gang rapes appeared in court on Monday.
Illegal mining is rampant in South Africa, with miners known as zama-zamas panning for gold in the many disused and abandoned mines in and around the Johannesburg area. Krugersdorp is a mining town located west of Johannesburg.
Illegal mining gangs are considered dangerous by police, are usually armed, and have been known to fight violent turf battles with rival groups. The trade is believed to be dominated by immigrants who enter illegally from neighboring Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and police said some of the men suspected of raping the eight women were foreign nationals.
This has made matters worse and comes at a time when South Africa is experiencing a spike in xenophobic attacks sparked by locals accusing foreigners of crimes in their areas.
“What bothers me is that we live as if we are not South Africans. How can someone from nowhere come and control us in our community?” Kagiso resident Thoko Setlhabi said. “People from Lesotho and Zimbabwe are coming into our homes and raping us. You need to make sure you and your family are inside before 6 p.m. When will our children be allowed to be free?”
Police say they are still analyzing DNA evidence in order to link some of the suspects to the rapes. But locals criticized local police for doing nothing despite warnings from locals that illegal miners were operating in the area as part of large crime syndicates.
“We are not only fighting against zama-zamas (illegal miners), but we are fighting against all crime. Our police must stand up, our police must pull up their socks,” said Kabelo Matlou, a local government official.
“Obviously something is wrong here. If somebody is taking gold here, where are they taking it? Our political leaders need to come together and fix this,” he said.
Mogomotsi Magome, The Associated Press
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