BY: Saneliso Mlambo
South Africa’s mining industry, once the backbone of its economy, has become a breeding ground for corruption, criminal syndicates, and political collusion. While the industry remains immensely profitable, wealth is siphoned off by powerful elites, leaving workers exploited and communities devastated. The rise of illegal mining operations, known as Zama Zamas, has further deepened the crisis, with deadly consequences for those trapped in underground tunnels, while politicians and organized crime networks profit from their suffering.
Who Are the Zama Zamas?
The term Zama Zama refers to illegal miners who operate in abandoned or active mines across South Africa, particularly in gold-rich areas such as Gauteng, Free State, and Mpumalanga. These miners, often desperate migrants from neighboring countries like Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Mozambique, risk their lives to extract gold and other minerals using rudimentary and dangerous methods.
It is estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 Zama Zamas are active across South Africa, with many working under appalling and unsafe conditions. Trapped underground for weeks or even months at a time, they face toxic fumes, tunnel collapses, and violent confrontations with rival groups.
How Many Zama Zamas Are Stuck Underground?
Mining accidents in illegal operations are frequent, but many go unreported due to the underground nature of the trade. In one of the most publicized incidents in 2023, over 31 illegal miners died in a gas explosion in a Free State mine. Hundreds of bodies are believed to be trapped in collapsed tunnels across the country, yet little is done to retrieve them because of the clandestine nature of their work.
Just recently, in 2024, reports surfaced that more than 100 illegal miners were trapped in an abandoned shaft in Orkney, North West Province. However, both the government and mining corporations have shown little urgency in addressing these disasters, further highlighting the disregard for these miners’ lives.
Who Benefits from Illegal Mining?
While the Zama Zamas face the harshest risks, the biggest financial beneficiaries are powerful crime syndicates, corrupt politicians, and mining bosses who turn a blind eye to illegal extraction. Illegal mining is estimated to cost South Africa’s economy over R14 billion ($750 million) annually in lost revenue, yet this money does not disappear—it is funneled into underground crime networks, fueling violence and lawlessness.
- Crime Syndicates: Organized gangs control illegal mining operations, providing weapons, bribes, and logistical support while laundering money through international markets.
- Mining Executives: Some licensed mining bosses indirectly profit by purchasing illegally mined gold at lower prices, allowing them to bypass environmental regulations and labor costs.
- Politicians: Corrupt officials protect these operations in exchange for bribes and political funding, ensuring that law enforcement does not interfere with illegal activities.
Who Pays the Zama Zamas?
Zama Zamas do not work independently. They are part of a larger supply chain that includes:
- Middlemen: These brokers act as intermediaries between illegal miners and criminal networks, smuggling gold out of the country to markets in Dubai, China, and Europe.
- Corrupt Mining Officials: Some licensed mines allegedly mix illegally mined gold with their legal output, allowing it to enter the formal market without scrutiny.
- Local Businessmen: Small gold dealers in Johannesburg and other cities buy from illegal miners, melting the metal down before it enters the global market.
Who Arms the Zama Zamas?
Illegal mining in South Africa is heavily militarized. Many Zama Zamas operate under the control of armed syndicates that provide weapons for territorial battles. Reports indicate that:
- AK-47s, pistols, and shotguns are commonly used in clashes between rival groups.
- Weapons are smuggled into the country from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.
- Police and military officers have been implicated in selling firearms to illegal mining gangs.
- Private security firms hired by mine owners often use excessive force, leading to deadly shootouts.
Why Are Politicians Protecting Zama Zamas?
The involvement of high-ranking officials in illegal mining is an open secret. Politicians protect Zama Zamas and the criminal networks behind them because:
- Bribes and Kickbacks: Many politicians receive millions in bribes from mining syndicates in exchange for police inaction and legal loopholes that allow illicit operations to thrive.
- Election Manipulation: Criminal mining bosses often fund political campaigns in exchange for protection.
- Diversion from Government Failures: Instead of addressing unemployment and poverty, politicians exploit the Zama Zama issue to shift blame and create distractions from governance failures.
- Ethnic and Migrant Tensions: Many Zama Zamas are foreign nationals, and corrupt politicians use them as scapegoats, inciting xenophobia to deflect attention from their own corruption.
The Devastating Impact of Illegal Mining
The unchecked rise of Zama Zama activity has far-reaching consequences:
- Economic Collapse: Illegal mining drains billions from the economy and discourages legitimate investment.
- Increased Violence: Shootouts between rival mining gangs have turned entire communities into war zones.
- Environmental Destruction: Abandoned shafts leak toxic chemicals into water supplies, leading to severe health hazards.
- Worker Exploitation: Zama Zamas work under extreme conditions for meager pay, often facing abuse from criminal syndicates.
How Can South Africa Fight Back?
1. Targeting the Financiers and Crime Syndicates
Law enforcement must focus on dismantling the organized networks behind illegal mining rather than merely arresting low-level Zama Zamas. This includes tracking money flows, seizing illicit gold, and shutting down illegal gold refineries.
2. Nationalizing Mines and Regulating Small-Scale Mining
By bringing abandoned mines under state control and creating formalized small-scale mining cooperatives, the government can provide legal employment while reducing crime.
3. Investigating Political Corruption
Politicians found to be involved in illegal mining must face criminal prosecution, asset forfeiture, and lifetime bans from public office.
4. Strengthening Border Security
To prevent the influx of illegal weapons and undocumented workers, South Africa needs stricter border controls, intelligence-sharing, and cooperation with neighboring countries.
5. Increasing Security and Community Protection
Mining towns should be provided with increased police presence and community-driven safety programs to protect residents from criminal violence.
Reclaiming South Africa’s Mining Industry
South Africa’s mining sector is under siege, not just from illegal miners but from a corrupt system that enables exploitation, crime, and environmental destruction. If urgent action is not taken, the country risks losing control of one of its most vital economic sectors to criminal enterprises. By tackling political corruption, strengthening law enforcement, and nationalizing key mining operations, South Africa can reclaim its wealth and ensure that its resources benefit the people, not criminals and elites.
The fight against illegal mining is not just about economics—it is a battle for the nation’s sovereignty, security, and future.