{"id":16393,"date":"2026-01-28T02:48:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T02:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=16393"},"modified":"2026-01-28T02:48:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T02:48:36","slug":"families-return-home-after-fleeing-zama-zama-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=16393","title":{"rendered":"Families return home after fleeing zama zama violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hundreds of residents who fled violence in the Sporong informal settlement on the West Rand two weeks ago have started returning to their homes.\"\"<\/p>\n

The settlement, home to about 500 people, was established about 10 years ago in an open field near old gold mines. For months it has been terrorised by armed gangs, believed to be linked to nearby informal mining activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have experienced has traumatised the entire community,\u201d said community leader Zanele Morapedi.<\/p>\n

Read:
Informal mining in South Africa is here to stay
Death and desperation in SA\u2019s illegal gold mines
Police close in on illegal miners in North West<\/p>\n

She said that in November heavily armed informal miners (zama zamas) began raiding the settlement at night. Residents had to lie on their floors to avoid gunfire. People found outside were robbed and beaten.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe live in shacks so there\u2019s no real protection as the bullets enter easily,\u201d said Morapedi.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dimakatso Moatshe, a 35-year-old mother of two, was shot dead during one such raid at the end of November. Her orphaned children have since moved to another settlement to live with their grandmother.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt really broke our hearts,\u201d said Moatshe\u2019s sister, Puseletso Sefoloshe.<\/p>\n

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Betty Sefoloshe (left) and her daughter, Puseletso. Another daughter, Dimakatso Moatshe, was killed during a zama zama raid at the end of November. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The attacks continued in December and escalated in January, with armed gangs breaking into homes to rob people.<\/p>\n

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Community leaders decided to evacuate the settlement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hundreds of people sought shelter at a community hall in Randfontein for two weeks. They refused to return unless police intervened and made the settlement safe.<\/p>\n

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni visited Sporong.<\/p>\n

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Mthombeni promised increased policing and Lesufi said residents would, in time, be relocated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On Monday, two police Nyalas and a temporary police station were stationed on the edge of the settlement. A police helicopter circled overhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the police leave, they [gangs] will return and shoot more people,\u201d said Ponto Julius Ponto, a longtime resident of Sporong. He earns a living salvaging recyclable materials from a nearby dumpsite.<\/p>\n

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Julius Ponto, a longtime resident of Sporong, hopes police will stay stationed in the area for a while. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Municipal housing officials briefed the community on Monday. The names of the latest group of housing beneficiaries were announced, to cheers from the residents. Kate Morapedi was overjoyed to hear her name called. She received congratulatory hugs from fellow residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are finally moving into a house. We are moving away from this place,\u201d she told her daughter.<\/p>\n

Listen\/read:
Illegal mining still a risk for the industry
Bodies and emaciated zama zamas being recovered from Stilfontein mine<\/p>\n

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Speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, a housing official said qualifying residents would be allocated homes in various developments, but it would take time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can maybe allocate around 20 applicants every few weeks, so people need to be patient, as there is a long waiting list,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n

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Sporong, in an open field near old gold mines on the West Rand, is home to about 500 people. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Two children walk through a field in Sporong. In the distance are old mine dumps. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published here.<\/p>\n

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