President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded police for apprehending suspected illegal miners and shutting down their operations in Kagiso, on Gauteng’s west rand. Ramaphosa proposed a specialised unit dealing with illegal mining to actively monitor activity which mining minister Gwede Mantashe supports. Tonight, as government decides what to do about illegal mining and the abandoned and ownerless mines that are attractive illicit sources of revenue for criminals – we question whether the path they are embarking on can be successful and effective. To do this, I’m joined by David van Wyk, who is a mining analyst and lead researcher – at the Bench Marks Foundation.