By:Iol

The South African government, desperate to deal with powerful illegal mining networks, found itself in a crisis that lasted six months at the disused Stilfontein mine in the country’s North West Province. In August last year, the police became involved in a standoff with thousands of illegal miners at the once thriving gold mine, closing off all shafts besides one and telling miners that they would be arrested as soon as they surfaced.

The operation at Stilfontein was part of a government-initiated crackdown on illicit mining that started in December 2023 through Operation Vala Umgodi, which means ‘close the hole’ in Zulu, a language spoken by more than 15 million in the country.

The abandoned mines had been taken over by gangs, often led by former mine employees, who sold what was found on the black market. People were co-opted into this illicit trade, either by force or voluntarily, and made to spend months underground digging for minerals. The government says illegal mining cost South Africa’s economy $3.2 billion in 2024 alone.

As part of the police operation, entry points at various disused mines were blocked, along with food and water supplies, in a bid to flush out the illegal miners, known locally as Zama Zamas (‘take a chance’ in Zulu).

South Africa is a leading mining economy and Zama Zamas drill parallel shafts or open old or closed shafts. Only 26 South Africans were part of the 2,000 artisanal miners who resurfaced alive from the Stilfontein illegal mining operations – the rest were from Mozambique, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.