Residents of a Limpopo village spend days digging and toiling under the sun in search of gold, which they sell to get money to feed their families.
These men and women walk up the mountain in Burgersdorp, outside Tzaneen, carrying shovels and other tools to mine gold from an old disused mine, a practice which is illegal in South Africa.
When Sowetan arrived in the area on Friday, Silas*, 27, was among the people who were hard at work, while his worn-out shoes were covered with dust.
He wakes up at 5am every day and starts digging at 6.30am. On a good week Silas, who said he started mining during December, makes up to R7000, which helps him provide for his child and elderly mother.
"My life has changed for the better. I can now afford to look after my family. Before I was unemployed and I used to struggle," he said.
But Silas said he knew that what he was doing was illegal and could land him in trouble with the authorities. However, he and the other locals believe they should be afforded the opportunity to keep mining with no interference as they were only trying to make a living.
Illegal mining remains a growing problem in parts of South Africa, including Gauteng and Free State, where there have been reports of violent turf wars among miners, who are popularly called zama zamas.
According to a fact sheet from the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, 70% of arrested illegal miners were undocumented immigrants and South Africa loses about R6-billion a year due to illegal mining. The fact sheet also stated that zama zamas were often heavily armed, while most of the activities were carried out through syndicates infiltrating both disused and operating mines.
In recent years there had also been reports of people dying due to rock falls and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Silas said the miners in Burgersdorp believed they were different from the zama zamas in other areas, especially Gauteng.
"We are peaceful here. There is no fighting and we work well together," he said.
The mining activity in the area does not require people going into deep mine shafts, like in other places. After digging up rocks the miners use water and a scrubbing brush to clean them. This allows for a proper inspection of the rock to detect whether it has gold inside.
Another 27-year-old man, Tebogo*, who did a civil engineering course at the local college, said he decided to mine after he struggled to find a job.
Tebogo said he looked after five family members and used to make R100 a day doing odd jobs, which is much less than what he is making with the gold.
"But working here is hard. Sometimes you work and you don't find anything," he said.
He said finding buyers for the gold was easy but he did not want to reveal his customers.
*Not their real names.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
Desperate to feed families - peaceful zama zamas rely on finding gold to survive
Residents of a Limpopo village spend days digging and toiling under the sun in search of gold, which they sell to get money to feed their families.
These men and women walk up the mountain in Burgersdorp, outside Tzaneen, carrying shovels and other tools to mine gold from an old disused mine, a practice which is illegal in South Africa.
When Sowetan arrived in the area on Friday, Silas*, 27, was among the people who were hard at work, while his worn-out shoes were covered with dust.
He wakes up at 5am every day and starts digging at 6.30am. On a good week Silas, who said he started mining during December, makes up to R7000, which helps him provide for his child and elderly mother.
"My life has changed for the better. I can now afford to look after my family. Before I was unemployed and I used to struggle," he said.
But Silas said he knew that what he was doing was illegal and could land him in trouble with the authorities. However, he and the other locals believe they should be afforded the opportunity to keep mining with no interference as they were only trying to make a living.
Illegal mining remains a growing problem in parts of South Africa, including Gauteng and Free State, where there have been reports of violent turf wars among miners, who are popularly called zama zamas.
According to a fact sheet from the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, 70% of arrested illegal miners were undocumented immigrants and South Africa loses about R6-billion a year due to illegal mining. The fact sheet also stated that zama zamas were often heavily armed, while most of the activities were carried out through syndicates infiltrating both disused and operating mines.
In recent years there had also been reports of people dying due to rock falls and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Silas said the miners in Burgersdorp believed they were different from the zama zamas in other areas, especially Gauteng.
"We are peaceful here. There is no fighting and we work well together," he said.
The mining activity in the area does not require people going into deep mine shafts, like in other places. After digging up rocks the miners use water and a scrubbing brush to clean them. This allows for a proper inspection of the rock to detect whether it has gold inside.
Another 27-year-old man, Tebogo*, who did a civil engineering course at the local college, said he decided to mine after he struggled to find a job.
Tebogo said he looked after five family members and used to make R100 a day doing odd jobs, which is much less than what he is making with the gold.
"But working here is hard. Sometimes you work and you don't find anything," he said.
He said finding buyers for the gold was easy but he did not want to reveal his customers.
*Not their real names.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos