Sinkholes, scarred land and scapegoats: the scourge of illegal gold mining in Johannesburg
There is no end in sight for the drivers of illegal mining, while police action appears ineffective Cora Bailey has been encountering illegal miners ever since she first started treating injured animals in the townships around Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 1991. But as the price of gold has soared, so too has activity in the abandoned mine shafts that mark the area. In late September,…
Illegal mining in Johannesburg's abandoned mine shafts continues unabated despite police efforts. The activity has escalated with the soaring price of gold, attracting dozens of illegal miners, known as zama zamas, to the area near Cora Bailey's charity, Claw. The charity's water tanks are being depleted as the miners take water for panning and processing.
Police claim the scale of illegal mining is too big for them to handle, but researchers estimate tens of thousands of miners operate in the region. The illegal mining contributes to the formation of sinkholes, with experts attributing most of them to formal industrial mining, which removes vast amounts of water from the underground.
Some sinkholes caused by zama zamas are undeniable, but the notion that they are the primary cause of these geological disasters is flawed. Illegal miners are also blamed for violence in mining areas, but their role is less significant than that of rival gangs controlling access to mining shafts. In local elections, politicians capitalize on the issue of illegal mining, pointing to sinkholes as a direct result of zama zamas' activities.
However, experts argue that the real culprits are the powerful mining companies and the government's failure to address the issue effectively.
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