TRACY-LYNN FIELD
ILLEGAL and unregulated artisanal gold mining on the Witwatersrand Basin, located south of South Africa’s Gauteng province, is an increasing threat to community, industrial and state security. Reports on turf wars between rival gangs, or shootouts between illegal miners and security officers are commonplace.
But recent incidents point to a spike in the scale of illegal activity, conflict and criminality.
In October 2021, approximately 300 illegal miners, known as “zama zamas”, attacked and shot at police and security officers when the officers tried to prevent them from delivering food parcels to underground miners. In June 2022, about 150 illegal miners stormed gold miner Sibanye-Stillwater’s mothballed Cooke shaft near Randfontein in an attempt to gain control. And since last week, South Africans have been reeling at the horrific robbery and gang rape of a film crew at a mine dump close to West Village, a multi-racial suburb of Krugersdorp on the West Rand.
West Village community members have since
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