Task team to probe zama zamas
The police have formed a task team in a bid to clamp down on illegal mining often accompanied by deadly shootings.
|||Johannesburg - The police have formed a task team in a bid to clamp down on the illegal mining often accompanied by deadly shooting over territorial control of Gauteng’s abandoned gold mines.
On Thursday, the death toll arising from the turf war between the rival illegal miners, known as the zama zamas, stood at 19.
A mob of zama zamas estimated at about 500 had last week opened fire at a rival group of about 200 miners in Grootvlei gold mine in Springs, Ekurhuleni, in what appeared to have been the latest battle for control of the abandoned mine.
The warring groups apparently used shotguns and rifles in the shootout that started last Monday.
In more gang warfare over mining rights in Carletonville last week, zama zamas exchanged gunfire with guards patrolling the Blyvooruitzicht mine.
This was after guards tried to chase the illegal miners off the property.
On Sunday, Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the task team would compromise various role-players, including some from the mining industry.
Communities living near the mines in which gang warfare breaks out are often at risk as the zama zamas often open fire randomly.
Dlamini said the police always remained on high alert.
“Police are concerned about this situation, and operations to arrest the gangs and to prevent further killings are in progress,” he said.
Dlamini said no arrests had been made in connection with last week’s deadly shootings. He said, however, the police were following up on some leads.
At a media briefing on Thursday, provincial police commissioner General Lesetja Mothiba expressed shock at the loss of lives resulting from the latest deadly shootings.
“It is disturbing that people would fire guns so causally.
“It is something we are looking into very seriously,” he said.
The zama zamas – consisting mostly of foreigners, especially from Lesotho – fought to occupy shaft 4 of the Grootvlei mine, which is believed to contain the most gold, according to Ekurhuleni metro police spokesman Clifford Shongwe.
He told The Star on Sunday that residents of Payneville, which is located close to the abandoned mines, were living in fear as zama zamas fire at random whenever gang warfare broke out.
“The community said gunshots are fired mostly at night and they do not feel safe anymore,” he said.
kgopi.mabotja@inl.co.za
The Star