Over 600 residents of the Sporong community in Randfontein remain displaced, sheltering in an overcrowded community hall for over a week after allegedly being terrorized by illegal miners. The government has committed to addressing their situation by next week, as the crisis spotlights the growing national threat of violent, syndicate-driven illegal mining.
The displaced residents fled their homes last week, claiming intimidation and violence from groups of illegal miners, commonly known as zama zamas. They are currently staying in a local community center, awaiting a resolution and a safe return to their homes in the Sporong area.
In an interview analyzing the national crisis, Sahlulele Luzipo, the former chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on mineral resources and energy, described the situation as a threat to national security. He argued that the issue has escalated beyond mere mining into criminal syndication and direct attacks on communities.
“We may be talking about illegal mining, but the reality is that we’re talking about criminal syndicates that are taking a different form,” Luzipo stated. “There’s no mining that is taking place when a person is evicted or the house is taken over.”
Luzipo, who had long warned about the dangers of illegal mining networks, emphasized the need for a multi-pronged strategy. He pointed to several policy failures that allowed the networks to grow, including inadequate legislation, lack of international cooperation with neighboring SADC countries, and the failure to regulate the trade of secondhand gold as a strategic mineral, similar to diamonds.
A critical breakdown, according to Luzipo, is within law enforcement itself. He cited serious allegations—some proven—of collaboration between illegal mining syndicates and members of the police, immigration officials, and even the courts.
“It is possible that it could be beyond the scope of the police,” Luzipo said. “We cannot deny… that there is a collaboration between law enforcement agencies with some of these [syndicates]. In fact, some they go to the extent of alleging that some of these law enforcement agencies are on the payroll.”
When asked about the role of mining companies in the crisis, particularly their failure to rehabilitate abandoned mines that become zama zama havens, Luzipo noted a legal void. He explained that older mining rights were granted without requirements for concurrent rehabilitation or closure provisions, leaving the state with thousands of derelict and ownerless mines. While the law does not hold these companies retrospectively liable, Luzipo called on them to demonstrate social responsibility and contribute to solutions.
The former chairperson sharply distinguished between arresting low-level diggers and tackling the real problem. He argued that enforcement has failed because it does not target the kingpins financing and trading in illicit gold.
“You can arrest a million. We have not arrested illegal miners. We have arrested those who are doing illegal mining,” he said. “Illegal miners are those who are owning the zama zamas… Until you address the arrest of the kingpins… you will not be able to address [it]. You need to close the tap on top.”
Luzipo further warned that the syndicate problem is expanding from gold into chrome mining areas, creating another future liability for the state.
While the national government has promised action for the displaced Randfontein community by next week, residents say repeated requests for police protection in Sporong were ignored. Their plight underscores a central question raised in the discussion: why mass arrests have not translated into safety on the ground.
As the community waits for lasting protection and the chance to return home without fear, Luzipo’s analysis concludes that only a comprehensive, coordinated strategy targeting the financial roots and cross-departmental corruption of the trade will resolve the escalating crisis.