The southern suburbs of Roodepoort are under siege from illegal miners (zama zamas), who seem to be in the midst of a heated turf war.

This, according to residents who say they live in fear of their lives as running gun battles are fast becoming the daily norm in their neighbourhood of Georginia South.

A meeting scheduled between Roodepoort Record and residents to discuss the ongoing gun violence was poorly attended, and the reason soon became apparent as multiple shots rang out nearby in what turned out to be a running gun battle involving local security companies, police, JMPD, and a group of heavily armed zama zamas.

An injured man found near the scene was, at the time of publishing, still not confirmed to have been involved in this shooting. It was later confirmed that he had died by the time paramedics had gotten him to the hospital.

Longtime resident Gill Stewart, one of only eight residents who attended, says they have no choice but to become accustomed to the illegal mining going on right on their doorsteps.
“The police do not do anything whatsoever to stop it. You can literally feel the vibrations in the house coming from the miners working underground.”

Stewart adds that while gunfire is commonplace, there has been a sharp upsurge in shooting incidents since late last year.

“It starts every day at around 17:00,” she says. “No one in our neighbourhood dares venture outside after 17:00.

“We are forced to stay well away from doors and windows since it is not uncommon for a bullet to smash through a window or into a door, or to land on the roof.”

Gill’s husband, Chris, adds that they have been engaging with the police for years, but with no luck.

“We’ve even been accused of being mentally unstable by a former station commander,” he says.

“Most of the residents are older. We can’t go anywhere because property values in our neighbourhood have shrunk to the point of being nearly impossible to sell.”

The Record has submitted questions to the police’s district communications co-ordinator, Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Tshetlane, who promised – and failed – to respond by the set article deadline.

Her response will be published in a follow-up article once received.