The Zama-zamas: A minefield of danger and violence

By Kotie Geldenhuys

Photos courtesy of the SAPS and Krugersdorp News

For more than a century, South African gold mines shone brightly, but during the past couple of decades, their sparkle faded and many have had to stop mining. In the ruins that have been left behind, illegal miners are scavenging for gold with picks, hammers and battery-operated headlamps. These miners are staying underground for days, weeks and even months where they eat, sleep, work, recounting stories of home and asking their ancestors for help to find their fortune. They are the gold hunters who dream of striking gold in a minefield filled with danger and violence.

Illegal mining is a serious problem in South Africa and the first illegal gold- mine activities were reported in the late 1990s. Although the majority of these illegal practices occur at redundant mines, they also occur at mines that are still operational. None of the country’s provinces where gold is mined, are immune to these illegal mining practices, but in recent years, Gauteng has become the hub for illegal mining. Not far from the skyscrapers and highways of South Africa’s city of gold, the gold rush has started all over again. At the towering mine dumps, a leftover of the city’s heyday in mining, illegal miners are trying to make a living.

Poverty and South Africa’s high unemployment rates which are in excess of 30%, are contributing factors to illegal mining. Seemingly nothing will come between these illegal miners, also known as Zama-zamas, and their gold as they will not hesitate to use violence when confronted. Illegal mining is their lifeline and the way they support their families back home. The term “Zama-zamas” is a Zulu expression which either means “take a chance” or “try your luck” (Martin, 2019a).

Syndicates behind the goldrush

Many illegal mining operations are driven by syndicates and can be considered an organised crime which links to the illegal trade in firearms and explosives as well as human smuggling and trafficking. These syndicates are highly sophisticated and they operate with intricate buying and selling networks. They operate across Southern Africa, earning billions of rand annually through the sale of precious metals such as gold. With no shortage of workers, these syndicates employ thousands of desperate jobseekers who flock to South Africa from neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe? Lesotho and Mozambique. Col Davy Davis from the Economic Protected Resources Section of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), told Servamus that the money made by syndicate leaders depends on the syndicate and the size of the network. “When one looks at the higher hierarchy from the refiners upwards, we speak about billions of rand. We have noted in certain projects that we are involved with, that there are people who generate R2 billion within two weeks from (illegal) gold,” he said.

At this point, we want to remind our readers that the police commonly refer to a five-tier crime syndicate hierarchy and that the DPCI (the Hawks) addresses criminals operating on Level 3, 4 and 5 of this hierarchy. The sophistication of the criminality increases at the higher levels of the syndicate pyramid. Level 1 consists of collectors or illegal miners who are the most visible at the bottom of the hierarchy. Level 2 comprises the people who process the gold, recruit the illegal miners and are the lynchpin between the Zama-zamas and the more established criminal syndicates, the Level 3s. Those on level 2 enforce discipline, ensure that production quotas are met and defend their turf with violence from rival syndicates, mine security and the police. They are the ones who would bribe mine personnel and security officers to gain access to shafts in active mines and are tipped off about any planned security sweeps. Level 3 features the regional receivers who may be established members of the underworld or licensed scrap-metal dealers or pawnshop owners or jewellers who have the legal right to possess and process gold. They are the people who launder the illicit gold into the legal supply chain (Martin, 2019a). Regional refineries are found on level 4 while level 5 houses international refineries and receivers or buyers. The latter two levels frequently operate from outside South Africa and therefore place themselves out of the immediate reach of the SAPS.

[This is an extract of an article published in Servamus: December 2022, from pp 10-15. If you are interested in reading the rest of the article where we discuss the Zama-zamas’ workplace, the dangers associated with the job, where they live and how they extract the gold, and most importantly, the link between violence and money, send an e-mail to:?[email protected]?or a WhatsApp or SMS message to: 078?712 1745 to find out what you need to do to acquire the article. Ed.]