JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Military forces in South Africa have successfully shut down unlawful gold mining activities in a community located near Johannesburg, causing illegal operators to abandon their sites and equipment while fleeing the area.
Law enforcement and military personnel seized numerous pieces of mining equipment, including power generators and drilling machinery — items that were photographed by an Associated Press journalist on Thursday.
Temporary excavation sites containing food provisions and cooking equipment belonging to the miners were also destroyed, with personal belongings scattered throughout the area after the operators escaped from the location in Randfontein, situated approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Johannesburg.
These actions represent an uncommon decision by the government to send military personnel into some of the nation’s highest-crime regions, including areas in Western Cape province where Cape Town is located and Gauteng province, which serves as an economic center.
Illegal mining activities flourish in the region due to numerous deserted mine shafts surrounding Johannesburg’s outskirts, where well-armed criminal organizations and unofficial miners called ‘zama zamas’ descend into the shafts seeking remaining gold deposits or other valuable minerals.
Mining without proper government authorization is prohibited, and conditions in many locations pose serious safety risks.
Additional provinces containing abandoned mining sites, including North West and Mpumalanga, have also witnessed extensive illegal mining activities, sometimes resulting in deadly outcomes.
Government officials estimate approximately 30,000 unauthorized miners operate throughout South Africa, working within roughly 6,000 deserted mining shafts.
Officials have documented rising illegal mining activity, calculating that criminal organizations steal over $4 billion worth of gold annually.
The illegal trade appears to be primarily managed by individuals from nearby countries including Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, creating tensions within South African communities toward both criminal leaders and foreign residents in local areas.
During Thursday’s parliamentary questioning, President Cyril Ramaphosa explained that military deployment would occur alongside additional measures, including enhanced anti-gang units and specialized illegal mining task forces.
‘The police will also be working with the National Prosecuting Authority on multi-disciplinary task teams to target the leadership, finances, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks,’ Ramaphosa said.
