The boom in gold prices has coincided with a renewed wave of illegal mining in the townships west of Johannesburg, where abandoned shafts pockmark the landscape and communities confront growing dangers. Locals and charity workers describe a pattern of repeated activity by so-called zama zamas — a Zulu term meaning roughly "to take a chance" — who venture into disused workings in search of scrap gold.
Subheading: Long-running problem intensifies
Cora Bailey, who has treated injured animals in the Roodepoort area since 1991, says she has seen illegal miners around the townships for decades, but that their presence has become more pronounced in recent years as the price of gold climbed. In late September, dozens of zama zamas arrived to dig for gold across the dirt road from Bailey's charity, Claw (Community Led Animal Welfare), illustrating how the activity has crept into residential and community spaces.
The incursions leave more than a temporary nuisance. Residents report scarred land and the risk of open shafts and unstable ground, hazards that pose threats to both people and animals. Charities operating in the area are increasingly having to factor the mining activity into their day-to-day work, as they encounter injured wildlife and damaged property close to the dig sites.
Subheading: Enforcement and community impact
Local concerns are compounded by perceptions that police action has had limited effect. Community members and observers say enforcement efforts have not produced a sustained reduction in illegal mining, and that miners often return to the same sites after operations end. That pattern has fed frustration and a sense among residents that the problem has no near-term solution.
The situation highlights wider challenges facing post-mining landscapes in South Africa, where disused shafts and fragmented ownership create opportunities for informal extractive activity. For communities around Roodepoort, the ongoing presence of zama zamas is a reminder of the social and environmental consequences that can persist long after commercial mining has ceased.
As authorities, landowners and local groups consider responses, residents continue to contend with the immediate dangers and disruptions brought by illegal digging on land adjacent to homes, roads and community facilities.