The entrance shaft of an abandoned mine is seen in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. More than two dozen illegal miners have been rescued and at least 15 bodies recovered from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, as operations continued on January 14, 2025 to reach potentially dozens more people who have been underground for months. (Photo by Christian Velcich / AFP)
If the government is serious about addressing illegal mining and its accompanying organised crime mafia, it must legalise artisanal mining and transform abandoned mines into economic development facilities.
This is the view of mining expert David van Wyk, who says that if the mines are legalised, then government can buy the gold they produce, instead of it going onto the black market for gold, which is run by criminal syndicates involved in other crimes which harm society.
Van Wyk, who is lead researcher at the Bench Marks Foundation, said even though the gold at the abandoned mines was not viable for large-scale industrial mining, it was viable for low-cost artisanal and small-scale mining. This means the government can legally buy it from them.
“The government should create a central buying agency to purchase the gold from zama zamas, thereby cutting out the syndicates,” said Van Wyk.
This week, authorities rescued 246 illegal miners who were trapped inside disused mineshafts at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, North West.
A rescue team, which was engaged by the government after it was compelled by the High Court in Johannesburg to act, also retrieved 84 bodies.
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Those who resurfaced this week bring the number of zama zamas involved to 2 000, just 26 of them are South Africans.
Van Wyk said most of the mines have a lot of useful infrastructure and technologies already.
“Things like workshops, health, training, transport, housing, sport and recreation facilities. So the investment would be minimal.
“The European Union has made huge amounts of money available for the just renewable energy transition. These funds should be directed at investment in energy solutions in dying mining towns,” said Van Wyk.
He has called on the authorities to arrest the leaders of the illegal miners instead of arresting the employees.
He said illegal mining activities were rife in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West. He added that the extracted mineral was eventually sold to a legitimate mineral dealer or company.
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“To address this, firstly the police need to investigate and arrest those recruiting these illegal miners.
“Focusing on the vulnerable employees on the ground will not help to solve the problem.”
Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe said stronger action was needed against illegal miners, who posed a threat to the economy.
“In 2024, illicit precious metal trade was estimated at R60 billion. It is not value to the economy. It is leakage from the economy,” he said.
Mantashe added: “It is a crime against the economy and it is an attack on the economy.”
National Artisanal Association of Miners spokesperson Philani Mngomezulu said only criminals were benefiting from the minerals extracted from the disused mines.
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“The small-scale miners are forced to sell the minerals to the black market, while they should sell legally and openly to the mining companies and pay taxes.
“If the government can implement the Artisanal Mining Policy, which allows the small-scale and large-scale miners to coexist, the disused mines can be used in a way that will benefit everyone,” said Mngomezulu.
Mngomezulu said to revive an abandoned mine for small-scale use cost about half a million rands.
Congress of SA Trade Unions spokesperson Matthew Parks said many mining companies fail to secure and rehabilitate old mines, making space for criminals.
“Because it is not regulated, criminal and armed gangs move in and mine workers are exposed to very dangerous conditions, as are neighbouring communities.
“The state, too, is denied tax revenue due to it. There’s a need for old mines to be secured. And those that can still offer opportunities for artisan mining to be managed and regulated to do so safely.”
He added: “This crisis is a chance for a reset. It needs to be exploited. It requires the mining industry to play its role.
“The department of mineral resources and energy does not have the capacity and resources to pick up after the industry.
“But the government must hold mining companies accountable for fulfilling their legal obligations.”
Minerals Council South Africa spokesperson Allan Seccombe said mining companies were obliged to secure workings when operations cased.
“If the member fails to adhere to the process agreed upon and/ or fails to take active steps to comply with the compact within a reasonable time, the member will be suspended for some time until the member complies with the compact obligations.”
Department spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi conceded that some of the abandoned mines had been successfully transformed into useful facilities, but he could not say whether the department would consider taking that route.
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“I have seen instances where rehabilitation has taken place and the area is transformed into a race track. However, this was a mine that was responsibly rehabilitated by a mine owner after the mining period.
“With the budget allocated to us for this programme, we can only seal or close shafts and holes of derelict and ownerless mines,” said Buthelezi.
Prof Witness Maluleke, head of the criminology department at the University of Limpopo, said: “The illegal miners largely benefit from this wellorganised criminal activity, while law-abiding citizens in urban and rural areas are vulnerable victims, based on their residential spaces under which illegal mining operates, while neglecting safety on the surface.”
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