Mining in focus
Illegal mining —
or making a living?
According to the
Minerals Council South
Africa, South Africa’s
mining industry loses
R7-billion annually to
illegal miners, writes
Dineo Phoshoko.
[20] MINING MIRROR OCTOBER 2018
I
llegal mining is a growing concern in
the industry, not only because of
the detrimental impact it has on
the mining industry economy, but also
because of the socio-economic and
safety impacts of the areas where illegal
mining activities take place.
Who are illegal miners?
Illegal mining itself is a criminal activity;
however, illegal miners are not criminals
trying their luck in the mines with the
hope of finding gold. More often than
not, illegal miners are former miners
themselves and are highly experienced
in the mining industry. PwC’s SA Mine
report released in September 2017
stated that it is not uncommon to find
that many arrested illegal miners are
ex-employees in the formal mining
industry.
Another notable trend with illegal
miners is that most of them lose
their jobs following mine closures or
retrenchments. With the rising cost
of living and South Africa’s high and
increasing unemployment rate, former
mine employees resort to illegal mining
as a means to make a living. The intimate
knowledge they have of the mine and
the experience gained over the years
of working at the mine works to their
advantage.
In an article for The Con titled “Zama
Zamas & The ‘Snake That Breathes
Fire’”, Tehillah Niselow details how
illegal miners’ equipment was limited,
only consisting of battery-operated
headlamps, small knee pads, a hammer,
and a chisel. With this, illegal miners
descended on an abandoned gold
mine shaft located in Langlaagte, west
of Johannesburg. One of the illegal
miners mentioned in the article was a
30-year-old former mine employee. He
was employed by a mine company as a
locomotive operator. The man, whose
identity was kept anonymous, decided to
pursue illegal mining after feeling that
he was not earning enough money. As an
illegal miner, the man managed to make
more than four times his salary, which
was R4 000 a month at the time.
Because of their activities, illegal
miners are considered to be criminals;
yet, to their dependants, they are
breadwinners. Many use the money
they earn to provide for their families.
Niselow mentions that one of the illegal
miners uses his earnings to pay for his
sister’s university fees and take care of
his family, which included two children.
In his article for Sowetan — “I hate the
smell but it’s worth it” — Lindile Sifile
described another illegal miner (also
anonymous), who used the money he
made to pay for his hospitality studies.
Contributing factors for illegal
mining
South Africa’s socio-economic status
makes illegal mining a lucrative industry.
High and increasing unemployment,
poverty, and an economy that is leaving
mines with no option but either to close
down or retrench employees, are among
the driving forces of illegal mining.
“Illegal mining is driven by poverty and
unemployment —desperate people will
take desperate measures in order to put
food on the table,” read PwC’s report.
Besides South Africa’s socio-economic
challenges, other neighbouring countries
also face similar challenges. As a result,
citizens from Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and
Mozambique migrate to South Africa
to seek employment in illegal mining.
Similar to South Africa, the foreign
nationals are former mine employees and
have experience in the mining industry.
Statistics show that 70% of arrested
illegal miners are undocumented
foreign nationals from South Africa’s
neighbouring countries.
Mbekezeli Mkhize, a researcher at
Stellenbosch University’s Centre for