COSATU welcomes the General Mining Laws Amendment Bill as a key step to tackle illegal mining [SOUND]

# COSATU has welcomed the General Mining Laws Amendment Bill, released by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, as a key step towards tackling illegal mining. Illegal mining by heavily armed criminal syndicates has become a national crisis, claiming the lives of mine workers, security guards, police officers and members of the National Defence Force. COSATU’s spokesperson, Matthew Parks says illegal mining also threatens legitimate mining jobs, puts communities at risk and costs the economy more than 70-billion-rand annually in lost revenue: