EFF leader Julius Malema has encouraged the police to "shoot to kill" zama-zamas if they dare open fire or display firearms against cops.
"If you know that it is the police that are coming down and you still shoot, they must drop them dead. All of them, including those who were displaying firearms," he said.
Malema made the comments this week during a media conference in Johannesburg. He said anyone who displayed a firearm against the state, declared war.
This comes after the police were involved in a shootout with the zama-zamas in Riverlea, south of Joburg.
However, Malema dismissed the statement by National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola that the police did not have enough resources to deal with the growing crisis of illegal miners across the country.
"Masemola would not know these things because he does not know what he is doing there, he is just earning a salary. If he knew, he would know that the police have the necessary capacity to attend to those people," he said.
He said that the police had powerful resources to flush out the zama-zamas in the area. "There is amaberete (the Tactical Response Unit) and special forces that can take those people out in less than no time," he said.
Despite the resources not being enough, Masemola said the police would be deployed to monitor the situation in Riverlea.
The task force is currently deployed in Riverlea to go after illegal miners in the area who have gone into hiding underground.
The community of Riverlea has put pressure on the law enforcement agencies, saying that they are not safe as they can hear sounds of voices of people digging beneath their homes.
IOL Politics