Activities involving illegal miners, locally known as “zama zamas,” have intensified significantly around the townships west of Johannesburg as global gold prices continue to soar. Abandoned mine shafts throughout the region have turned into hubs of unregulated extraction, increasingly disrupting local communities and community initiatives.

Cora Bailey, who runs an animal welfare organization near Roodepoort, reported that dozens of unauthorized miners had encroached upon the area, eventually utilizing the charity’s water tanks intended for rescued animals. Local law enforcement officials allegedly claimed that the scale of the underground operations was far too vast for them to effectively manage. *

While police authorities frequently publicize their enforcement operations and arrests, independent researchers estimate that tens of thousands of individuals are engaged in illegal mining. A substantial portion of South Africa's gold production is reportedly smuggled out of the country, fueled by widespread poverty, high unemployment, and the failure of mining corporations to properly seal decommissioned shafts.

Political figures have attempted to blame zama zamas for infrastructure collapses and massive sinkholes appearing across the region. However, anthropology and geology experts contend that large-scale industrial dewatering practices carried out by formal mining companies over decades are the primary driver behind the unstable geological conditions.

Source: www.theguardian.com