An In-Depth Look at South Africa’s ‘Ruthless’ Gang-Controlled Gold Mines

Ndumiso, along with approximately 600 other men, resides and labors in a small, gang-controlled “town” – featuring markets and a red light district – that has developed deep underground within a disused gold mine in South Africa. Speaking to the BBC, Ndumiso explained that after being laid off by a large mining company, he opted to join the gang in its subterranean world to become what is known as a “zama zama,” an illegal miner. He extracts the valuable metal and surfaces roughly every three months to sell it on the black market for a substantial profit, earning more than he ever did previously, though the associated risks are now considerably higher. “The underground life is ruthless. Many do not make it out alive,” stated the 52-year-old, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity due to fears of reprisals. He added, “In one level of the shaft there are bodies and skeletons. We call that the zama-zama graveyard.” However, for those who survive, like Ndumiso, the occupation can be lucrative. While he sleeps on sandbags after arduous days underground, his family lives in a house he purchased in a township of Johannesburg, the main city. He reported making cash payments of 130,000 rand (about $7,000; £5,600) for the one-bedroom house, which he has since expanded to include three additional bedrooms. Having been an illegal miner for approximately eight years, Ndumiso has managed to send his three children to fee-paying schools, with one currently attending university. “I have to provide for my wife and children and this is the only way I know,” he said, further noting his preference to toil underground rather than contribute to the high crime rate by becoming a car-hijacker or robber, after years of attempting to find legal employment. His current work is at a mine in the small town of Stilfontein, situated around 90 miles (145km) south-west of Johannesburg. This location has become a focal point of global attention after government minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni pledged to “smoke out” the hundreds of miners underground there, with security forces preventing the delivery of food and water. Ntshavheni declared, “Criminals are not to be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted.” A campaign group, The Society for the Protection of Our Constitution, has initiated a court case to demand access to the mineshaft, which police estimate to be about 2km (1.2 miles) deep. The court has issued an interim ruling, permitting the delivery of food and other essential items to the miners. Ndumiso works at a different shaft at the mine and surfaced last month, prior to the current stand-off. He is presently observing how the situation develops before deciding whether to return. The stand-off follows a government decision to crack down on an industry that has spiraled out of control, now managed by mafia-like gangs. “The country has been grappling with the scourge of illegal mining for many years, and mining communities bore the brunt of peripheral criminal activities such as rape, robbing and damage to public infrastructure, among others,” stated Mikateko Mahlaule, chairman of the parliamentary committee on mineral resources. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa described the mine as a “crime scene,” but indicated that police were negotiating with the miners to end the stand-off, rather than descending to arrest them. He added, “Law-enforcement authorities have information that some of the miners may be heavily armed. It is well-established that illegal miners are recruited by criminal gangs and form part of wider organised crime syndicates.” Ndumiso was among hundreds of thousands of workers – both locals and nationals of neighboring states like Lesotho – who have been retrenched as South Africa’s mining industry has declined over the last three decades. Many of these individuals have subsequently become “zama zamas” in abandoned mines. David van Wyk, a researcher with the South Africa-based Benchmark Foundation who has studied the industry, reported that approximately 6,000 abandoned mines exist in the country. He informed the BBC Focus on Africa podcast, “While they are not profitable for large-scale industrial mining, they are profitable for small-scaling mining.” Ndumiso recounted his previous employment as a drill operator for a gold-mining company, earning less than $220 (£175) a month, until he was laid off in 1996. He stated that after struggling for the subsequent 20 years to find a full-time job due to South Africa’s exceptionally high unemployment rate, he decided to become an illegal miner. Tens of thousands of illegal miners operate in South Africa, with Mr. Van Wyk estimating around 36,000 solely in Gauteng province – the nation’s economic heartland, where gold was first discovered in the 19th Century. A report by the campaign group Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime noted, “Zama zamas will often spend months underground without surfacing and depend heavily on outside support for food and other necessities. It is arduous and dangerous work.” The report further indicated, “Some carry pistols, shotguns and semi-automatic weapons to protect themselves from rival gangs of miners.” Ndumiso informed the BBC that he does own a pistol, but also pays his gang a monthly “protection fee” of about $8. He explained that the gang’s heavily armed guards repel threats, particularly from Lesotho gangs reputed to possess more lethal firepower. Under the gang’s 24-hour protection, Ndumiso stated he uses dynamite for rock-blasting and rudimentary tools such as a pickaxe, spade, and chisel to locate gold. He gives most of what he finds to the gang leader, who pays him a minimum of $1,100 every two weeks. He mentioned being able to retain some gold, which he sells on the black market to supplement his income. He noted that he was among the fortunate miners to have such an arrangement, clarifying that others are kidnapped and forced to work in the shaft as slave laborers, receiving no payment or gold. Ndumiso typically remains underground for approximately three months at a time, then surfaces for two to four weeks to spend time with his family and sell his gold, before returning to the deep pits. “I look forward to sleeping on my bed and eating home-cooked meals. Breathing in fresh air is an amazingly powerful feeling.” Ndumiso avoids surfacing more frequently to prevent losing his digging spot, but after three months, remaining underground becomes too much. He recounted an instance upon reaching the surface: “I was so blinded by the sunlight that I thought I had gone blind.” His skin had also become so pale that his wife took him for a medical check-up. He stated, “I was honest with the doctor about where I lived. He did not say anything, and just treated me. He gave me vitamins.” When above ground, Ndumiso does not solely rest. He also collaborates with other illegal miners as ore-bearing rocks brought up from below are blasted and crushed into fine powder. This powder is then “washed” by his group at a makeshift plant to separate the gold using dangerous chemicals like mercury and sodium cyanide. Ndumiso reported selling his share of the gold – one gram for $55, which is less than the official price of about $77. He indicated having a consistent buyer, whom he contacts via WhatsApp. He recalled, “The first time I met him I did not trust him so I told him to meet me in the car park of a police station. I knew I would be safe there.” He explained, “Now we meet in any car park. We have a scale. We weigh the gold on the spot. I then hand it to over to him, and he pays me in cash,” noting that he receives between $3,800 and $5,500. This sum is received quarterly, resulting in an average annual income between $15,500 and $22,000, significantly exceeding the $2,700 he earned as a legally employed miner. Ndumiso stated that gang leaders earn considerably more, though he was unaware of the exact figures. Regarding his gold buyer, Ndumiso reported knowing nothing about him except that he is a white man operating within an illegal industry that encompasses individuals from various races and social classes. This complexity hinders efforts to dismantle criminal networks, with Mr. Van Wyk asserting that the government is focusing on miners rather than the “kingpins living in the leafy suburbs of Johannesburg and Cape Town.” Mr. Ramaphosa stated that illegal mining is costing “our economy billions of rands in lost export income, royalties and taxes,” and affirmed the government’s continued collaboration with mining firms “to ensure they take responsibility for rehabilitating or closing mines that are no longer operational.” Mr. Van Wyk informed the BBC Focus on Africa podcast that a government crackdown on “