<\/p>\n
It used to be gold in abandoned mines that lured illegal miners underground. Now anything goes \u2013 coal, chrome, platinum, manganese \u2013 all of which can be sold on the black market and then laundered through official channels.<\/p>\n
Illegal mining is a massive business \u2013 worth up to R60 billion a year in lost revenue, taxes and exports, according to Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources\u00a0Gwede Mantashe. That\u2019s probably an undercount because no one truly knows how vast the problem is.<\/p>\n
Listen\/read:
Illegal mining still a risk for the industry
Bodies and emaciated zama zamas being recovered from Stilfontein mine<\/p>\n
It\u2019s happening anywhere minerals are in the ground.<\/p>\n
Near Pilgrim\u2019s Rest in Mpumalanga, illegal miners are working an old gold seam right alongside the main road. There\u2019s no attempt to hide it. The takings here will be modest \u2013 a few grams a day, enough to feed a small family.<\/p>\n
But elsewhere in the country, illegal mining is vastly more sophisticated, with fleets of excavators, trucks and all the other appurtenances of mining.<\/p>\n
On a recent visit to Bapong in the North West province, South African Police Service (SAPS) National Commissioner Fannie Masemola declared a zero tolerance approach to illegal mining. Up to five zama zamas (Zulu for \u2018Give it a try\u2019) are believed to be trapped underground due a collapsed shaft, made worse by recent heavy rains.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are enhancing and heightening our crime combating operations to deal decisively with these illegal mining activities,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are deploying more police officers on the ground such as crime intelligence officers, members of the Hawks, detectives and tactical units to prevent and combat these illegal mining activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n#sapsHQ<\/a> The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has stated that #IlegalMining<\/a> in Bapong will not be allowed to continue, as the lives and livelihoods of our communities are at risk.
General Masemola received a full briefing from the NATJOINTS on possible\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/uQufK1s7LB<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 SA Police Service\u00a0(@SAPoliceService) December 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
There are an estimated 100 000 zama zamas who venture underground daily in mostly abandoned mines scattered across Gauteng, the Free State and North West.<\/p>\n
Bapong is the latest flashpoint for illegal mining, where residents complained of sinkholes, cracked homes and disappearing roads due to illegal underground mining, this time for chrome and platinum.\u00a0Police swooped and confiscated 10 excavators and other mining equipment, making several arrests in the process.<\/p>\n
A used Caterpillar excavator costs upwards of R1 million, so there\u2019s some serious money behind this illegal mine, unlike the panhandlers on the East Rand working for a gram or two of gold a day.<\/p>\n
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It is reckoned that about 80% of illegal miners are foreigners, and there are several reported incidents of Zimbabweans crossing the Beitbridge border with explosives for mining in their car trunks.<\/p>\n
There were reports of armed men guarding zama operations at Bapong, though the police refute this, saying the local Bapo ba Mogale tribal council had employed private security to shut down illegal mining activity.<\/p>\n
Echoes of Stilfontein<\/strong><\/p>\n
This has faint echoes of the January 2025 Stilfontein tragedy in North West province where police blockaded a mine entrance leading to the starvation and death of at least 78 zama zamas.<\/p>\n
Listen\/read: Stilfontein mining tragedy sparks calls for inquiry<\/p>\n
As many as 1 000 survivors surfaced after police and the Department of Mineral Resources were ordered to conduct a humanitarian rescue. The illegal miners were accessing a disused shaft at the old Buffelsfontein mine, once part of Rand Mines, then Gencor and later Village Main Reef.<\/p>\n
The police had imposed a siege of the mine in August 2024 to cut off food, water and other supplies to force illegal miners to the surface. With key exits blocked, many miners remained underground fearing arrest or retribution if they surfaced until the court ordered them to launch a rescue mission.<\/p>\n
The months-long standoff took the lives of dozens of illegal miners, and prompted questions about how best to deal with the problem.<\/p>\n
\u2018Close the mine hole\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n
Operation Vala Umgodi (\u2018Close the mine hole\u2019) was launched two years ago as a joint initiative involving the army, police, private security and the Department of Home Affairs with the aim of dismantling illegal mining networks.<\/p>\n
Read:
Informal mining in South Africa is here to stay
Death and desperation in SA\u2019s illegal gold mines
Hundreds of people face eviction from abandoned Sibanye mining village<\/p>\nIn June this year, it was announced that more than 18\u00a0000 illegal miners had been arrested, with many illegal miners deported. That figure now stands at 30\u00a0000, according to Lieutenant Colonel Tebello Mosikili, deputy national commissioner of the police.<\/p>\n
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\n#sapsHQ<\/a> The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has stated that #IlegalMining<\/a> in Bapong will not be allowed to continue, as the lives and livelihoods of our communities are at risk.
General Masemola received a full briefing from the NATJOINTS on possible\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/uQufK1s7LB<\/a><\/p>\n