There have been 13 homicides reported in the area since January, this year, and most of the deceased were either stabbed or shot inside or nearby illegal taverns over weekends, during the early hours.
According to concerned residents, the violence is apparently part of the problem of illegal mining – an issue to which the government and the property owners seem incapable of finding a solution.
Residents claimed Angelo has become a war zone and said crime has increased since the illegal miners arrived.
Police, too, suspect that the string of deadly attacks are related to an illegal mining turf war.
According to Boksburg SAPS spokesperson Lieut Kwendzakwakhe Ngobese, although the motives for the killings remain unclear, it is suspected that they might be related to illegal mining.
One illegal miner, a Zimbabwean who spoke under condition of anonymity, said there is an ongoing battle among Basotho, Zimbabwean, Mozambican and a few South African miners.
“There are hundreds of people, foreigners and locals, fighting over a share of what the mines might still produce,” he explained.
“The heavily armed Basotho want to control everything and they often prevent the other groups from working, which leads to dangerous and bloody battles.”
“We used to work without any conflict, but, since the BaSotho arrived from other mineshafts, such as in Springs, the place has become dangerous for us to take our chances as ‘zama-zamas’ (local term for illegal miners).
“Fights between rival groups of illegal miners for control of the mines happen on a daily basis, underground and on the surface.”
Despite his activities regularly being disrupted by the police, the miner said he continues to mine due to the alluring possibility of earning enough money to secure a future for himself and his family in Zimbabwe.
Like many poor migrant illegal miners, he does his job on the surface, where he uses his homemade sieve to separate gold from gravel and mud for the miners who bring their ore from underground.
When asked if they pay him for his service, the miner said he does not receive any payment, but benefits from the crumbs of gold that fall from the sand when he’s sifting.
Hundreds of people panning for gold were seen running, with others climbing the mine dumps to escape, when police arrived at the scene as part of a law enforcement operation on Friday, October 30.
Police confiscated some of the miners’ equipment.
The latest murder in the string of deadly attacks in Angelo was that of a man who was recently gunned down by a group of men believed to be Lesotho nationals, in a tavern ambush.
According to unconfirmed reports, the group of men stormed the man’s tavern and attacked his patrons and wife before they shot him.
The motive is still unknown, but residents believe that it was in retaliation for a Lesotho national who was murdered prior to this attack.
No arrests had been made in connection with the killings at the time of going to press, and police appealed to the residents for assistance.
Anyone with information can call the Boksburg police on 011 8416859, or Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or anonymously pass it on to Crime Line, on 32211.
In a bid to end the problem, the police called a public meeting in the informal settlement on Sunday, November 1, where the issue of crime connected to the illegal mining activity was raised.
Attendees included police officials, along with the commander of the Boksburg Police Station, Col Biggs Govender, community leaders and ward councillor Hilary Coke, as well as the residents.
The police will also help residents to set up a community committee to work with the police to curb crime in the area. -@FanieFLK
Illegal mining cause of concern
Eighteen foreigners arrested for illegal mining
Illegal miners wage violent turf war
