Zama zamas unite in bid for state to formalise small-scale mining
Organisation says the government is violating the miners’ right to work
In a heated meeting between zama zamas and Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Godfrey Oliphant recently, the illegal miners, frustrated by constant police raids on their mining sites in Sekhukhune in Limpopo, vowed that they would not cease their operations. Zama zamas are subsistence, or artisanal, miners who are not employed by mining companies but work independently, using their own resources. In SA, they are not recognised by legislation and are regarded as illegal miners. Nongovernmental organisations are attempting to get them legally recognised and organised. "Tell the police to leave. We want to work," Kgaogelo Mapoulo told Oliphant during the meeting in Burgersfort, Limpopo. He makes a living as a middleman brokering deals between the artisanal miners and buyers. Burgersfort is the heartland of chrome and platinum mining in the Bushveld complex. But it has also become the new battleground between zama zamas, mining companies and law enforcement agencies. Frustrated by the De...
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