Watch: Illegal gold rush threatens residents, tourism in Pilgrim’s Rest

Residents, businesses and tourists in Pilgrim’s Rest in Mpumalanga are facing a barrage of illegal miners operating in the well-known Pilgrim’s Creek and very little intervention from authorities. It is believed that organised syndicates are behind the mining activities that see cyanide and mercury dumped straight into the stream.

The zama-zamas operating illegally within 100m of this historic town pose a significant threat to the safety of tourists.

Moreover, they seem to be outpacing legal gold mining operations.

It is estimated that about 150 zama-zamas are operating in the dry beds of Pilgrim’s Creek.

The tributary to the Blyde River, once a fairly perennial stream, has now been reduced to a trickle. This is due to zama-zamas building flood walls in the creek to channel water to their homemade screening plant.

Hundreds of holes and sifting sites are scattered along the creek, making it look like the riverbed has smallpox. This is the silent proof of the damage being done.

The zama-zamas stay in wooden and plastic shacks in the dense bushes on the riverbanks.

“A clear sign that these illegal miners do not fear or have respect for the law is the processing plant with large steel structures complete with storerooms, which is erected in plain sight,” says Willie Kruger, chairperson of the Sabie Chamber of Commerce.

“These processing plants are fitted with fairly advanced equipment such as ‘phendukas’, generators, oxygen bottles and large quantities of highly poisonous cyanide and mercury.”

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The illegal miners use cyanide to dissolve the ground dug up from the creek bed to only leave the gold-bearing material intact. The material is then mixed with mercury, which attaches to the gold-bearing material.

After being melted, pure gold nuggets are created.

Kruger believes that illegal mining is run by highly sophisticated syndicates.

“They are well organised and deliver goods such as food, alcohol, diesel and other supplies to the zama-zamas.”

He says his chamber, as well as Graskop’s and Pilgrim’s Rest’s, are working very hard to protect tourism in the area. According to him, the 20-plus tourism monitors who were appointed to patrol the town, should report crime to the police but are not.

“You will always find them sitting around at the Royal Hotel using their cellphones because the Wi-Fi at the hotel is free.”

A local gold mine was in the process of applying for a legal operating licence to operate in the area the zama-zamas are targeting.

“At this stage, our hands are cut off. We can’t even supply security to protect the area,” says Suzette Hartzer Marais, environmental permitting project manager of the Transvaal Gold Mining Estates (TGME).

TGME has received all the required environmental approvals for the underground project estimated to be worth R85m. However, an appeal has been lodged to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment against the approval of the integrated environmental authorisation that was issued by the Department of Mineral Resources on July 25, 2023.

Out of over 900 interested and affected parties, only one person in their private capacity lodged an appeal.

The implication is that the integrated environmental authorisation is now suspended until the appeal process has been completed, and TGME cannot commence with the project. The appeal is expected to be realised in December 2023 or January 2024.

The police eventually gave in to demands to act against the zama-zamas. Six suspects were arrested on October 10, said Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, a provincial police spokesperson.

The six, one Zimbabwean and five Mozambicans (all of them illegal immigrants), appeared in the Graskop Magistrate’s Court last Friday. The five Mozambicans’ case was postponed. The Zimbabwean paid a R2 000 admission of guilt fine and was released.

A resident of the town living in a house overlooking the ‘mining site’, who requested to remain anonymous, said the zama-zamas who fled into the thickets during the police raid returned shortly after the police had left.

“Despite the police confiscating the tools and machinery, within hours, they were back in production.

“The zama-zamas dump the cyanide and mercury straight back into the stream. All the aquatic life was killed, and it is not unusual to find dead wildlife that drank water from the stream,” the resident said.

The biggest environmental disaster, according to him, could occur when the contaminated water eventually flows into the Blyde River.

Kruger said Graskop and Sabie are in secluded areas flooded with illegal miners.

“We estimate that around 2 000 zama-zamas are active in those areas. They are very sophisticated, and in some cases even make use of construction equipment such as trucks, excavators and front-end loaders.”