As police intensified their crack down on illegal miners on the West Rand, about 160km away in Orkney, near Klerkdorp, North West, zama-zamas have turned neighbourhoods into their playgrounds.
The community of Kanana township told Sowetan that illegal mining activities in the area have turned their area into a battle field as rival gangs exchange gunfire all the time. Residents say they fear walking the streets after 6pm. The areas that police officers casually referred a Sowetan team to as most problematic include Ext 11, 12, 13 and Z-section.
Residents have detailed how their township, which surrounded by shafts belonging to mining giants such as Harmony Gold, Anglo Gold Ashanti, Tau Lekoa, and China African Precious Metals (CAPM), has been under siege from zama-zamas.
Fear runs deep in the community that most residents pleaded with Sowetan not to identify them as they believed they could be killed.
One of the residents, who runs a tavern, said illegal miners had not been to her business but she lived in fear because of their clashes during the night.
“We hear gunshots every night. They are shooting each other and we do not know what they are fighting for. As businesses the best thing we do is to close as early as 5pm because we are scared of what can happen to us. We live in constant fear,” she said.
Another resident who has been living in the township for over 30 years said he makes sure that doors are closed and his family is inside before sunset.
“When they start shooting each other at night they do not care who is around. They are fighting among themselves. The sound of their automatic rifles is unique, not like the firearms that police use. Sometimes I feel even the police are scared of them because of their ammunition. The shooting takes place every day,” he said.
He added that a week ago, a body of a young man was found in an open field, near a tavern which is known in the township as their exclusive drinking spot.
“On weekends, people who drink know very well that they cannot go and drink there. It is their (illegal miners) space. We used to go collect wood near the closed mines but we cannot do that now. If one were to get a tyre puncture there, they would not stop because anything can happen,” the resident said.
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The man said most of the illegal miners live in the township while others come from Khuma township, in the neighbouring town of Stilfontein. The main target for illegal miners is Shaft 7 (belonging to CAPM) which is situated about 3km from Kanana.
As Sowetan drove around the area, residents easily pointed out the illegal miners in their dusty long jackets coming out of the bushes into the township.
The dusty streets of the township look a little quiet with just a few children playing. A security guard who has been working in the Orkney mines for over two decades said the turf wars play themselves on the bushes next to the mine.
“There was Shaft 3 and 1, which illegal miners used before it was closed around March this year. In the two shafts, there were no longer operations so they targeted them. Now that they cannot access these shafts they go for shaft 7. Underground when we see them we call the proto team which is trained to engage in that kind of warfare. Above ground, we call the police,” he said.
He said when one of the miners has been killed, they take the body and leave it on the side of the road with a piece of paper bearing the numbers of the next of kin.
The security guard said some legal mineworkers at the mine were selling food to the zama-zamas underground.
“It has become an extra income for the workers. If you give the illegal miners a loaf of bread with cooked meat, they can pay you over R1,000, so people get tempted,” he said.
Illegal mining has become a focal point following the rape of eight women in Krugersdorp allegedly by zama-zamas in West Village. Some of the women were gang-raped by as many as 10 men. After the rape on July 28, the police raided the area and arrested 81 people.
Thabo Seabeng, a local councillor, said the council held a campaign recently to warn the community to observe a curfew between 6pm and 4am.
“We’ve encouraged people to only move in groups as it is unsafe. People get robbed while going to work. Illegal miners take their cellphones, money and even their lunch boxes. Now they have started attacking taverns. They recently killed a person in one of the popular tavern and the owner has decided to close the business.
“We really need to see those police operations taking place in Gauteng conducted in our area. Everyone is living in fear,” Seabeng said.
dlaminip@sowetan.co.za
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