Zama zamas swarm Sabie plantations: Toxic mining threatens local waterways and communities
Hundreds of illegal miners are reportedly operating in Sabie plantations, sparking safety and pollution concerns.
At dawn each day, hundreds of zama zamas flock from Simile township into plantations to ‘work.’
This is the sight, a resident outside Sabie, has had to live with for the past couple of years.
“Every morning they walk from Simile on the back roads of town, through the cemetery, and then disappear in the plantation adjacent to Harmony Hill. These plantations belong to Safcol and York Timbers,” he told Lowvelder.
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500 illegal miners
He estimates there could be as many as 500 illegal miners streaming into the plantations.
“In the evening they head homeward, but then each is carrying a big bag.”
According to him, these bags are filled with gold-bearing ore.
“I suspect that there is a processing plant in Simile as well.”
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He is also concerned about possible pollution of the Sabie River.
“The processing plant uses dangerous chemicals to extract gold from the ore. When driving along the R532 between Sabie and Graskop, one can see the reddish slush draining from Simile into the river.”
The Sabie River forms part of the Komati River system, which also runs through the Kruger National Park into Mozambique.
Zama zamas panning and processing gold
He said recently, while driving to White River, he also discovered a large group of zama zamas panning and processing gold in a stream about 15km outside of town.
“I stopped next to the road to answer a call of nature. I stood on the embankment when I noticed some movement about 30m from the road. I saw a group of about 30 to 40 people in the Spitskopspruit, panning and processing gold ore.”
The red chemical slush flowed into the spruit.
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“Residents who collect firewood from the plantations are now living in fear. They told me they are scared because the illegal miners are armed and will not hesitate to shoot,” he said.
One of the biggest concerns for Safcol is the protection of their plantation.
They are aware
“We are aware of the illegal mining in our plantation,” said Nokuthula Makaringe, spokesperson for Safcol.
“We contracted Phoenix Security, a specialised security entity, to protect our plantations.”
Safcol also reported the case to the police. Makaringe could not say how many illegal miners operate on Safcol’s property or if any action has been taken by the police.
Zander Stander, a director of Phoenix Security, confirmed that they were tasked with supplying security to both Safcol and York Timbers.
“For security reasons, I cannot divulge what our operational plans are. It is an enormous task, but we are slowly but surely making inroads in the fight,” he told Lowvelder.
York Timbers did not respond to the question by the time of publishing.
*This article was amended since it was published in The Lowvelder
