MALAIKA MAHLATSI | Zama zama dilemma: Should SA rethink potential contribution of artisanal miners to the economy?

The 31st edition of the Invest in African Mining Indaba took place in Cape Town last week under the theme: Future-Proofing African Mining, Today!

Since its inception more than three decades ago, the Indaba has become a pivotal event that brings together mining professionals, industry leaders, investors and governments across the world, to deliberate on opportunities in Africa’s mining sector.

I attended the Indaba and had the opportunity to listen to some discussions about the future of mining in Africa, but was especially interested in how the South African government would articulate its position on artisanal mining after the Stillfontein catastrophe where about 80 miners died after refusing to resurface. They had spent months underground.

The minister of mineral resources, Gwede Mantashe, gave incisive opening remarks about the state of the mining sector in SA. One of the points raised by Mantashe pertained to zama zamas, illegal artisanal miners who work in abandoned mines.

The term zama zama loosely translates to “take chances”, which is precisely what the thousands of men working underground in SA’s many abandoned mines are doing. With limited tools and inadequate safety equipment, the men search for gold underground, often spending months in the abandoned shafts. It is an extremely risky job and there have been reports of deaths and severe injuries during these operations.

Mantashe condemned the activity, which is illegal in SA. While the reasons that he advanced, including the dangers that zama zamas pose on public infrastructure running underground, I believe that he, and the government in general, are missing an opportunity to rethink artisanal mining in the country.

SA needs to rethink how it perceives artisanal mining as this is an industry with immense potential for growth and contribution to the economy. Various studies have been done on the importance of artisanal mining in Africa.

According to a study authored by James Wakiaga and Uyanga Gankhuyag, published in April 2024 by the UN), artisanal and small-scale miners play a big role in the mining of development minerals such as construction materials, industrial minerals and semi-precious stones – to meet the growing needs of construction and infrastructure.

In many African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, they produce upwards of 60% of construction materials. In Uganda, for example, artisanal miners produce over 80% of development minerals.

In Zambia, for example, they are mining cobalt, tungsten, tin, tantalum and copper. These minerals are required for developing clean energy and infrastructure. As such, their contribution is significant as the world grapples with insufficient exploration and critical mineral shortages.

Despite their importance, artisanal miners around the world are often exploited and work in unregulated mines in unsafe conditions. They are disproportionately exposed to high risks of accidents, health hazards, and diseases – as seen in the Stilfontein disaster.

But the dangers extend to all of us. The negative environmental impacts from illegal mining, resulting in deforestation, loss of biodiversity, pollution, disruption of water bodies, and land degradation, severely harm communities. This can be alleviated if the government adopts strategies to manage artisanal and small-scale mining effectively and sustainably.

The government must consider instituting and funding the administration of artisanal miners. As the UN argues, this would equip mining authorities with tools and capacities to conduct inspections of artisanal mining operations, facilitate their legalisation, and provide technical services to enhance and manage health, safety, and the environment.

Additionally, to increase productivity growth and incomes of artisanal miners, access to affordable financing and equipment must be considered as this can improve efficiency.

SA has an opportunity to change the narrative of artisanal and small-scale miners from being the “orphans” of the mining world to an important player on the economy. We should think seriously about taking this opportunity.