Sinkholes, scarred land and scapegoats: the scourge of illegal gold mining in Johannesburg

AI Summary

Illegal gold mining around Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, has intensified as gold prices have risen, leaving sinkholes and damaged land. The report describes ongoing activity in abandoned mine shafts and says police efforts have not stopped the mining, while local residents and animal welfare workers face its consequences.

There is no end in sight for the drivers of illegal mining, while police action appears ineffective Cora Bailey has been encountering illegal miners ever since she first started treating injured animals in the townships around Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 1991. But as the price of gold has soared, so too has activity in the abandoned mine shafts that mark the area. In late September, dozens of zama zamas – the name given to illegal miners in South Africa, meaning roughly “to take a chance” in Zulu – arrived to dig for gold across the dirt road from her charity, Claw (Community Led Animal Welfare). Continue reading...