A shooting that left 12 people dead and 10 injured in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, on Tuesday night appears to be linked to a conflict between rival groups involved in illegal gold mining, according to local ward councillor Neuren Pietersen.
Speaking at the gruesome crime scene at the Jumpers informal settlement on Wednesday, Pietersen said the attack bore the hallmarks of a targeted operation connected to zama-zama activity in the area.
“It looked like a well-planned ambush that was very targeted,” he said.
“They almost knew exactly which site they wanted to go to, but they literally shot up the shack next to the likely site. Which is the head part of a zama-zama operation.”
Shack built over a mine first target
According to Pietersen, the attackers first targeted a shack built over a mine shaft before moving on to nearby taverns.
“So, there’s a shack built over a mine shaft, and they shot up this poor lady’s shack during the course of last (Tuesday) night and then moved on from there to the taverns and murdered many people in these taverns that were just minding their own business at the time.”
While the motive has not yet been officially confirmed, Pietersen said the circumstances strongly suggest factional fighting among illegal miners.
“It is strongly leaning towards a zama-zama faction fighting. It looks like a faction; a group has split. And it seems like the faction that is not in control of this site is exerting power or intimidating the faction that is here.”
He, however, cautioned that investigators were still piecing together exactly what had happened.
Jumpers informal settlement around for almost 20 years
The shooting unfolded in the Jumpers informal settlement, which falls within Pietersen’s Ward 118 and has been in existence for nearly two decades.
“Jumpers has been in place for almost 20 years now. There are about 1,100 doors here,” he said.
Pietersen described the settlement as a complex environment shaped by poverty, informal housing, and illegal mining operations.
“There is a degree of shack farming here. So, it creates a lot of extra dynamics where people are profiteering out of other people’s poverty.”
He said a City of Johannesburg upgrading project currently underway had improved conditions for residents but may also have affected the operations of illegal miners.
“It is making a mild improvement to people’s lives, but it’s also threatening the status quo of people who are doing things like illegal gold mining.”
According to Pietersen, tensions may have been heightened by the project’s impact on mining activity.
“The project has inadvertently also disrupted the mining operations, so it’s increased tensions. So I’m not slamming the project for that aspect, but it’s an unintended consequence of the project.”
The councillor said the latest attack was not an isolated incident.
“This is, to my recall, about the fourth such incident. It is the most serious incident in the last 12 months.”
He said police regularly conduct operations targeting illegal miners, but the area’s geography makes enforcement difficult.
“The police do conduct disruptive raids on the zama-zamas and confiscate their equipment. But it being a very porous environment, in terms of lots of access shafts, they find it very difficult to shut down this operation completely.”
‘The scene is horrific’
Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni described the crime scene as extensive and spread across multiple locations.
“The scene, it is horrific,” he said. “It could be no less than 10 different camp scenes.”
Police have confirmed that 12 people were killed and 10 injured. No arrests had been announced by Wednesday, and investigations into the attack were continuing.
Read more: Top cop unleashes specialised police units to support Cleveland mass shooting probe
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- A shooting in Cleveland, near Johannesburg, resulted in 12 deaths and 10 injuries, linked to a violent conflict between rival illegal gold mining (zama-zama) groups.
- The attack appeared to be a targeted, well-planned ambush starting at a shack over a mine shaft and moving on to nearby taverns.
- The Jumpers informal settlement, where the shooting occurred, is a long-standing community facing poverty and illegal mining activities, complicated further by a City of Johannesburg upgrading project.
- The project has improved living conditions but unintentionally disrupted illegal mining operations, heightening tensions among mining factions.
- Police described the crime scene as extensive and are investigating; no arrests had been made as of the latest update, with law enforcement challenged by the area's geography and porous illegal mining sites.
A shooting that left 12 people dead and 10 injured in
"It looked like a well-planned ambush that was very targeted," he said.
"
"So, there's a shack built over a mine shaft, and they shot up this poor lady's shack during the course of last (Tuesday) night and then moved on from there to the taverns and murdered many people in these taverns that were just minding their own business at the time."
While the motive has not yet been officially confirmed, Pietersen said the circumstances strongly suggest factional fighting among illegal miners.
"It is strongly leaning towards a zama-zama faction fighting. It looks like a faction; a group has split.
He, however, cautioned that investigators were still piecing together exactly what had happened.
"Jumpers has been in place for almost 20 years now.
Pietersen described the settlement as a complex environment shaped by poverty, informal housing, and illegal mining operations.
"
He said a City of Johannesburg upgrading project currently underway had improved conditions for residents but may also have affected the operations of illegal miners.
"It is making a mild improvement to people's lives, but it's also threatening the status quo of people who are doing things like illegal gold mining."
"
"
He said police regularly conduct operations targeting illegal miners, but the area's geography makes enforcement difficult.
"
"
Police have confirmed that 12 people were killed and 10 injured. No arrests had been announced by Wednesday, and investigations into the attack were continuing.
Read more: Top cop unleashes specialised police units to support
Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content
