Armed and ready to defend is the life some residents in Florida Lake, Roodepoort on the West Rand, have to live because of fear of illegal miners who they say have wreaked havoc in their neighbourhood.
Leolen Harris is one the residents living in fear of the zama zamas that have been operating in the area since 2020.
When Sowetan knocked outside his gate, he emerged with a panga in his right hand as he came out to interrogate who it was.
Alluding to the weapon in his hand, Harris said: “It’s for my own safety. In this area you will never know what will happen. We have no choice but to learn survival skills. My sister also has one [panga] of her own. I'm teaching her how to defend herself because the crime here has increased and we have no control over it.
“There are always break-ins and at night gunshots go off almost daily. We have to be ready for anything because it looks like they [zama zamas] are not just fighting among themselves, but also coming into our homes. We see them crossing the road, sometimes wearing blankets or long trench coats with their guns sticking out,” he said.
He said it was well known among the community that the informal settlement just opposite his home, known as Jerusalem, was harbouring zama zamas who open trenches along open fields of the disused mine belt on Hamburg Road to conduct their illegal mining activities.
These activities are said to have made way for the theft of diesel from Transnet's main pipeline running underground from Langlaagte to Tarlton depot on the far West Rand. They sell the fuel to motorists and homeowners who have been forced to use generators because of Eskom's rolling blackouts.
“The pipeline was breached on at least four occasions in the area. The diesel is then sold in 25-litre containers. The digging happens so close to the gas pipeline that if a mistake were to happen, there is a potential risk of a gas leak,” said Rodney Churchyard, a CPF member in the area.
Underground blasting has caused cracks to houses with some homeowners opting to sell their properties.
Others are leaving because of rampant crime such as theft of electricity cables from substations, solar panels and gate motors from houses in the area. Residents have put up protective bars and lock the mini substations — releasing the keys only to City Power officials for repairs or maintenance work.
So bad is the illegal mining that it is threatening the area's electricity infrastructure, with City Power saying some of it’s substations are already showing signs of caving in because of hollow ground caused by illegal mining.
City Power acting general manager at Roodepoort service delivery centre said illegal miners operated in the belt between Roodepoort and Robertsville substations which are 3km apart. “The guys [zama zamas] go in at Robertsville and come out here in Roodepoort. There is nothing much we can do except to call for help to try to stop these activities because one day we will wake up without any infrastructure,” said Sibusiso Xulu during a media tour of the two stations yesterday.
A 15m long concrete pylon that connects to other pylons along a 10km route, is also at risk of collapsing.
City Power chief engineer Hilda Nonkonyana said if the pylon collapses there was chance buildings along the 10km route would be damaged. “Depending on how it falls, all of these transmission lines all the way back to the feeding station will then be damaged. And as it falls it will pull other towers down and that means those will be falling as well,” she said.
Criminal activities by illegal miners in the West Rand were in the spotlight last year in July after a group of miners raped eight women who were part of a film crew that was shooting a music video on a mine dump in Krugersdorp, about 16km from Roodepoort. The incident shocked the country, resulting in police minister Bheki Cele deploying amaberete in the area. But they have since left and police visibility remains minimal, according to the community.
Churchyard said in 2021 when the Jerusalem informal settlement emerged, they realised that more and more residents of the settlement were involved in illegal mining.
“What we have found when we are conducting raids and operations with police is that the cables and solar panels that are stolen are used to light tunnels where the zama zamas operate. They need light for their operations and movement underground.”
Churchyard said the CPF and various other security groups noticed prominence in illegal mining activities in 2021 when they started responding to gang-related shootings and in some case homes ended up falling prey to stray bullets .
“Last Friday there was huge gunfire around the neighbourhood which sounded like 100 gunshots going off. It was really scary. What was shocking was that we didn’t hear of any bodies being recovered the next day,” he said.
Residents have opted to increase their protective measures with many houses installing cameras.
Transnet's chief executive Michelle Phillips said it has dealt with about 90 cases of fuel being siphoned from its underground pipes in the current financial year with the last one recorded in Kibler Park last month where two thieves died from fumes. At least 68 arrests have been made.
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
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