Post: Illegal Mining Threatens Plantation Forestry

November 14, 2025

Illegal Mining Threatens Plantation Forestry

By: Francois Oberholzer, Director Of Operations

Plantation Forestry in South Africa, a cornerstone of the rural economy and a globally recognised supplier of certified sustainable timber, is facing a rapidly escalating crisis. Illegal mining, primarily for gold and sand, is spreading across Mpumalanga, and is now directly threatening the viability of commercial forestry operations. This surge in illegal activity is destroying productive plantation land, endangering workers, degrading vital ecosystems and undermining the Sector’s sustainability credentials.

The scale of the damage is staggering. FSA members estimate that they are losing over R35 million every year as productive land becomes unsafe or unusable. In 2024 alone, more than 23 000 hectares of timber plantations in Mpumalanga were destroyed when illegal miners allegedly set fires during enforcement raids to disrupt police operations. These fires caused over R60 million in losses, wiping out standing timber, disrupting harvesting schedules and setting back forest productivity for years. In many cases, miners have hollowed out the ground beneath plantations, creating collapse hazards that make it too dangerous for harvesting teams to enter. Some areas have had to be abandoned entirely as violence has escalated, with reports of arson, intimidation, assaults and even murder linked to illegal mining activity.

Beyond the operational losses, the environmental and reputational risks are profound. In parts of the Blyde River catchment, sediment from gold-washing has smothered riverbeds, damaged aquatic ecosystems and contributed to the collapse of spawning among yellowfish populations. Sediment is also rapidly silting up the Blyderivierspoort Dam, reducing its storage capacity and threatening irrigation systems that support local citrus production, which coexists closely with plantation forestry in the region. There are growing concerns about toxic substances such as mercury and cyanide entering waterways, posing serious risks to biodiversity and downstream water users. These environmental impacts also jeopardise the Sector’s hard-won international sustainability certifications. South Africa’s plantation estates are certified under the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) systems, which require strict compliance with environmental, social and safety standards. Breaches of these standards caused by illegal mining could place these certifications at risk and jeopardise access to key international markets.

Illegal mining on plantation land violates a wide range of South African legislation, including the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, National Environmental Management Act, National Water Act, National Forests Act, Precious Metals Act, Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act and Prevention of Organised Crime Act. These operations are run with no regard for safety, environmental protection, or legal compliance, and they place forestry workers, communities and ecosystems at extreme risk.

In response to this growing crisis, FSA has taken a proactive stance. It has engaged directly with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the national Vala Umgodi task team to plan enforcement actions on forestry land, and has advocated for operations to be carefully timed so they do not take place on high fire danger days. After enforcement raids on “Red FDI” days in 2024 led to catastrophic fires, this collaboration has become critical. Forestry companies have also offered to support SAPS with technology such as drones, camera networks, number plate recognition systems and other surveillance tools to improve intelligence gathering and early detection of illegal mining activity. This support could significantly strengthen enforcement capacity, which is often stretched thin across vast and remote forestry areas.

While these steps are vital, the scale of the threat requires a much broader response. FSA is calling for stronger joint enforcement between SAPS, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), forestry companies and regulatory agencies, along with acceleraed mapping and monitoring of illegal sites, active restoration of degraded plantation and riparian areas, firm legal accountability for syndicates and the creation of community-based livelihood alternatives to reduce the socio-economic drivers pushing vulnerable people into illegal mining.

Illegal mining is no longer a marginal issue: it is a direct and existential threat to the sustainability, safety and long-term viability of plantation forestry in South Africa. It destroys productive land, endangers lives, erodes ecosystems and jeopardises the international certification status that underpins the industry’s access to global markets. FSA remains committed to working with government, law enforcement, industry stakeholders and local communities to stop this scourge. If left unchecked, illegal mining could cost South Africa not just its forests, but its water, biodiversity and rural livelihoods as well.

Source: Forestry In Focus