Discover the hidden operations of the Zama Zamas, with a particular focus on their impact on communities but also on security and the economy at large.
An intricate subterranean marketplace has sprung up in the underbelly of South Africa’s forsaken gold mines. Referred to locally as Zama Zamas, a term meaning “those who try” in isiZulu, these informal miners belong to a changing and at times risky world that meets up with organized crime, environmental danger, and social stress.
Some Zama Zamas are people trying to make a living in tough economic circumstances. Others belong to organized groups which are becoming more advanced. This two-sided situation makes things very hard for authorities, policymakers, and people living in the area. In this article, we take a closer look at the realness of illegal mining in South Africa – checking the setup, dangers, and bigger effects of the Zama Zama trend.
Who are the Zama Zamas?
The Zama Zamas are individuals or groups who work informal and often illegal mining operations, usually in old or abandoned mines spread across provinces such as Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the North West, and the Free State. Some work alone, but many belong to bigger criminal groups that include people who find and bring in workers, suppliers, security guards, and international buyers.
Although mining has always been at the heart of the South African economy, since formal mining operations ceased, there have been uncontrolled shafts that have become very attractive to informal miners.
The Emergence of Crime Syndicates
Illegal mining transformed from a struggle for survival to a structured subterranean economy over the last ten years. Security agencies and industry professionals have increasingly seen:
• Use of weapons meant for the military in safeguarding and solving land conflicts
• Smuggled gold with connections through the trade routes to the world’s markets
• Criminal gangs involved in shaking down the artisanal miners
• Fighting and scaring not only rival groups but also the locals
There are scores of unoccupied mine shafts in just Gauteng, say the security forces, which are now under the control of the Zama Zama groups—
some of which are making millions of rands a month.
In 2022, the South African Police Service (SAPS) reported that it had dismantled over 140 illegal mining operatio
ns. Many of the illegal mining operations are linked to cross-border syndicates. The latter have connections with Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.
The Zama Zama network has had a dual effect on the local communities, in that, on the one hand, some residents eke out a living by engaging in informal trade, selling food to the illegal miners, or joining the illegal miners themselves. On the other hand, these activities are seen in most instances as having led to
• a spate of crime, including armed robberies and turf wars
• environmental degradation; as they mine haphazardly, leading to pollution
• placing a burden on public services, especially in rural communities
• Infringement on the public infrastructure, such as the power and water supplies
Tremors were reported by residents as a result of unregulated blasting occurring underneath their houses in Welkom, a town in the Free State. This resulted in safety concerns at schools in certain areas.
Government and law enforcement response
The South African government has viewed illegal mining as a substantial and growing threat. Responses have included:
• Task teams comprising SAPS, Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, and SANDF
• Hit operations at identified hotspots in Gauteng, Limpopo, and North West
• Laws tightened to control abandoned mines
• Processes to register artisanal mining as a legal way for small-scale miners
Despite these efforts, challenges in resource and coordination persist. Many of the abandoned mines are located in the areas wherein the ordinary nature of oversight is bound, and some of the operations of law enforcement have been criticized as reactive rather than preventive.
It results in economic losses, and legitimate mining operations on a global scale
According to the industry’s estimation, illegal mining costs a loss of about seven billion rand to the South African economy per annum. This involves a loss in tax revenue, theft of minerals, and damages to legitimate mining operations.
Additionally, uncontrolled gold mined by Zama Zamas frequently finds its way to international markets, which in turn complicates global efforts to ensure ethical sourcing and transparency in the mining industry. Under the cover of informal refineries or with the help of false documents, the illegal gold mined in South Africa can be exported; this makes it very hard to trace once it enters the global supply chains.
Not all Zama Zamas are to be labeled as criminals; many are unemployed South Africans or migrants seeking a livelihood in a context where opportunities are limited.
These individuals face enormous personal risks working underground in most instances without protective equipment and ventilation and in a scenario of high dilapidation of mining towns.
“We don’t steal. We just try to live,” one illegal miner said in an interview near Krugersdorp. “There’s no job. This is what we have.”
This human truth shades the national talk. While parts of organized theft need to be dealt with, there is also space for more open-minded plans that separate gangs from those just trying to get by, offering lawful choices for those ready to follow the rules.
Addressing the illegal mining problem in South Africa requires a composite strategy, in which the rule of law and development and reform must be soundly integrated. The key components of such an approach would be effective in:
• The reclamation of old mine sites to prevent informal prospection
• Enhanced cross-border law enforcement cooperation in combating foreign organized crime groups
• The formalization of artisanal mining as an economic activity through enabling legislation
• Private sector investment in job creation in former mining areas to alleviate economic pressure
• Informing communities about the risks to the environment and safety that are associated with illegal operations
Partnerships between government agencies, mining companies, and society, at both local and international levels, are what it will take to break the cycle of informal mining and criminal exploitation.
The development of the zama zama mining is one of the most pressing yet complex challenges in South Africa — it is a legacy of the past, inequality has formed it, and perpetuated by the present of opportunity and desperation.
The menace of organized crime should indeed be taken with all gravity, but real transformation can only be realized through inclusive policies, popular participation, and sustained investment in alternative livelihoods. In the ultimate end, addressing Zama Zama is more about stopping the illegal mining—it is restoring dignity, safety, and sustainable growth to those communities that were left behind by South Africa’s mining past.
Illegal Mining in South Africa: Towards Organized Crime Networks
