Kimberley - Northern Cape Cricket is facing the brunt of the illegal mining activities currently under way in Cassandra, as the major influx of illegal miners in the area has left its unofficial parking area unusable.
The last fortnight has seen the number of people sifting through the gravel, in search of diamonds, on the land between the Diamond Oval cricket stadium and Aristotle Avenue balloon to more than 2 000, leaving residents in the area concerned for their safety.
Among these are the local cricket fraternity, with Northern Cape Cricket CEO Eugene Jacobs saying that the illegal activity threatened the turnout at local cricket matches when the 2016/17 domestic season gets into full swing.
“The mining in the area is causing two major concerns for us,” said Jacobs yesterday.
“We are worried about both safety and parking for the season, and unless something is done to stop the miners we are going to have a problem when the bigger matches start.
“We are very concerned, as the holes that are being left by the miners will make it impossible to use the area when we need the extra parking.
“We have tried to approach the mining companies but to no avail and we will be having a meeting on Monday to discuss a contingency plan for parking.
“Fortunately, we haven’t found any miners trespassing on our property but they are on the periphery and will have an impact on the logistics of our bigger games.
“We are facing a big problem and will need to come up with a solution,” said Jacobs.
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