Our government is failing to protect citizens from the illegal miners known as zama-zamas. Not that the government lacks capacity; there is just no political will to do so. There is also a strong suspicion that some political leaders are benefiting from illegal mining activities.
Most zama-zamas are in SA illegally. They don’t respect our country or the rule of law and treat SA’s citizens with disdain.
During apartheid, political activists fled into exile in countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania. When they were there, they respected the laws of those countries.
The government has largely turned a blind eye to the illegality of the zama-zamas, perhaps because it does not affect the leaders.
In Kagiso, zama-zamas terrorise local communities, attacking and robbing residents. They force shop owners to pay protection fees, and those who resist are driven away.
In certain parts of the West Rand, zama-zamas hijack houses and secretly mine from them. In one house, they held a family hostage while they were busy mining there. The family was later rescued but had to rebuild the house themselves. — Thabile Mange, Kagiso
