Illegal miners are at the bottom of the food chain in the illegal mining industry and they follow orders given by kingpins. Zimbabwean nationals‚ who have been operating in the black market for several years‚ say they merely follow orders. The turf war between the Basotho and Zulus is the reason for the killings because each group takes ownership of certain mine shafts. There is a Basotho clan and a Zulu clan and they guard different shafts and different holes and its a turf. "These guys [security] are cruel. If they catch us‚ even at night when we are in a big group‚ if you become rude, they will test the bullet on you and they don’t think twice about killing you‚" said zama zama Abel Abugalo. "There are no rules there‚ they are the ones in charge there. If they catch you with a weapon, you are dead‚ even a knife. They are like the police underground‚" said Abugalo. "We are their work horses and we are protected by them. They trust us. They treat us very well. "So when we hear that...
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