Dehydration and hunger drive Zama Zamas out of hiding

Unbearable conditions and a disruption in food supplies have compelled illegal miners, known as zama zamas, to leave their hiding spots and emerge at abandoned mine shafts in Orkney, North West.

The police and the South African National Defence Force launched an operation aimed at ambushing and evicting the illegal miners from the shafts.

This initiative resulted in the arrest of nearly 600 zama zamas who surfaced over two days.

The first group of around 225 illegal miners appeared on Saturday, leading to their apprehension.

On Sunday morning, more than 300 individuals also came out, and police arrested them as well.

Reports indicate that those arrested were from South Africa, Lesotho, and Mozambique.

Brigadier Sabata Mokgwaabane, the North West provincial police spokesperson, noted, “The arrested were part of the thousands of illegal miners, which we believe they had been trapped underground without any food or water supply. The conditions forced them out of the abandoned mine shafts.”

This operation is part of the police’s Vala Umgodi initiative, aimed at eliminating the zama zamas operating in the country’s abandoned mines. The phrase “Vala Umgodi” means “close the pit” in Zulu.

Facing mounting public criticism for their inability to address the dangerous presence of zama zamas—who are known to resort to violence—the police and military also prevented nearby communities from providing food to the miners.

Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, the national police deputy commissioner for crime detection, stated that the goal was to ensure illegal miners resurface to face the full force of the law.

“More than 13,000 suspects have been arrested in the seven provinces that are considered hotspots for illegal mining since Vala Umgodi was introduced in 2023,” Sibiya said.

During these operations, police confiscated uncut diamonds valued at R32 million, alongside over R5 million in cash.

The illegal miners are part of a flourishing illicit economy, which includes a network of South African scrap metal and gold dealers, gold refineries, and exporters benefiting from untaxed income.