SEVERAL illegal miners have been killed in gang-related attacks in the past months, which made waves across Gauteng.
During the 2019 ANC Manifesto Review at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto on Sunday, 3 September, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the difficulties caused by zama zamas in Gauteng.
He said the province is going through a difficult time of zama zamas and illegal mining.
“We are going to tackle that problem and make sure we rid this province off zama zamas and illegal mining. We are going to work together with our security forces to make sure that we address this problem,” he said.
The West Rand recently made headlines after the area was terrorised by illegal miners who exposed a large underground bulk water supply pipe.
In August 2022, Daily Sun reported that 30 zama zamas were found in illegal mines on the West Rand and 10 holes where the illegal foreigners used as their hiding place were occupied by condoms, pots, generators and ammunition.
On the other hand, zama zamas invaded Zamimpilo informal settlement in August 2023, leaving a few illegal miners dead and some residents scared for their lives.
This forced Police Minister Bheki Cele to call an imbizo in the area, where he said there were 61 holes where zama zamas were operating from. He urged the Department of Mineral Resources to close those holes permanently using cement, stones and iron and bury alive those who are inside because no one sent them there.
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The president of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), Dr Zizamele Cebekhulu-Makhaza, said the zama zamas' illicit activities are costing Mzansi billions each year and as a result, illegal mining is a pressing issue that requires urgent attention.
“Beyond occupying abandoned mine shafts and waging open gang warfare in the streets, zama zamas damage municipal infrastructure, weaken road foundations, rob homes and take tools from backyards, sheds, and garages and steal electrical cables to sell on the growing illegal copper market.
"There are many potential causes for the growing illegal mining issue. For one, South Africa’s exceptionally high unemployment levels continue to drive more people to a life of crime. Furthermore, many illegal immigrants flee from our poverty-stricken neighbours to seek a better life in South Africa, which often means joining the illegal mining trade,” he said.
Cebekhulu-Makhaza said that perhaps the most significant factor allowing these criminals to go about unchecked is a lack of effective regulation and enforcement.
He believes that placing boots on the ground to deter illegal operations will do best.
“Meanwhile, there is an unknown quantity of illegal miners, possibly upwards of 30 000 alone. It’s clear that our police service is greatly outnumbered and spread very thin. The simplest solution would be to increase the number of boots on the ground and better equip our officers to dismantle illegal mining operations and discourage future operations.
"More officers should be allocated to patrolling mining areas, which would lead to more arrests and deter illegal miners from operating openly. But given the severity of crime in our country, this cannot come at the expense of other police work,” he said.
Cebekhulu-Makhaza said that it is crucial that other government departments and agencies step in to help fight this war on multiple fronts.
