Gold industry reels under attacks by armed gangs
EU-funded study says illegal bullion flows from SA of about R14bn a year are Africa’s largest
28 October 2019 - 05:10
SA’s gold industry is reeling under an increased number of attacks by heavily armed gunmen at their processing plants, looking for easy and lucrative access to the metal that is selling for more than R700,000/kg.
The industry has for years struggled with illegal miners, known as zama-zamas, bribing or coercing their way into their underground operations, hacking out gold-bearing reef, stealing copper cables and engaging in pitched gun battles with each other and security officers...
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