Zama zama operations represent a criminal economy, with thousands risking lives, descending into the bowel of the earth, down the shafts of death, in search of leftover gold.
Deep in the shafts, according to research, a grisly find was made of corpses strewn about – “the remains of men who have fallen, or perhaps been thrown to their deaths”.
The research states, further, “…if there are other bodies, they may never be found” – which is to say their bodies and bones will remain buried underground without getting a decent send-off from their families and society.
There is a body of evidence that states that these illegal operations are largely carried out by illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Mozambique, among others. And, that the immigrants may be pawns in an illegal and criminal scheme orchestrated and planned by the wealthy and crooked kingpins, nicely ensconced in some swanky apartments in Sandton, Houghton, New York, London, and many other wealthy suburbs.
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe made a telling point recently, cautioning the Lesotho government to warn its citizens to desist from engaging in illegal mining, which, as we understand it, is extensive.
In fact, Lesotho Minister of Foreign Affairs Lejone Mpotjoane conceded that “Basotho gangs were heavily involved in illegal activities in South Africa”, but it was not a practice his government condoned, adding that this activity by the Basotho gangs could be fuelled by the country’s poor economy.
Mantashe’s broadside came in the wake of 31 bodies of illegal miners, believed to be Basotho nationals, found underground at the Virginia Mines in the Free State.
The effects of zama zama activities are not only accompanied by violence, they also contribute to water pollution through the release of toxic chemicals, which adversely affect the health of communities close to these illegal operations.
In the dead of night on Wednesday, in the Angelo informal settlement of Boksburg, more than 17 informal dwellers died after inhaling nitrate oxide fumes emanating from a broken gas cylinder believed to have been used by zama zama operators, who live in the settlement.
Innocent people, including children, died in this debacle.
We might argue, perhaps justifiably, that these illegal activities may be desperate efforts by poor and desperate people trying to eke out an existence. The bigger question, though, is that the practice is illegal, and there cannot be justification for illegal immigrants to directly threaten the lives of this country’s citizens.
In the final analysis, the government has the constitutional duty to protect its citizens. Increasingly we hear of many South Africans complaining that their well-being is not taken care of, not being protected, and that the government, through lack of adequate policing, is badly letting them down. We say the government must wake up to these realities. Not to do so might easily foment a revolution.
Those who have ears, let them listen to the cries of the populace.
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