South African soldiers dismantle illegal mining operations near Johannesburg as miners flee

Johannesburg — South African soldiers deployed to high-crime areas have dismantled illegal gold mining operations in a community near Johannesburg, forcing some illegal miners to flee and abandon their equipment.

Police and the military seized a variety of equipment used by the illegal miners, including generators and drill machines, documented by an Associated Press photographer on Thursday.

In Randfontein, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Johannesburg, makeshift trenches containing clothing, food supplies and utensils belonging to the miners were also demolished after the miners fled the scene.

The operations are part of a rare move to deploy soldiers in some of the country’s crime-prone areas, including the Western Cape province, which includes the city of Cape Town and the financial hub of Gauteng province.

With dozens of abandoned mine shafts on the outskirts of Johannesburg, illegal mining is rampant in the area as heavily armed crime syndicates and informal miners known as “Jama Jamas” enter the shafts in search of remaining deposits of gold or other precious minerals.

Mining without a government permit is illegal and in some places dangerous.

Other provinces with abandoned shafts such as the North West and Mpumalanga have also experienced high levels of illegal mining, sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

Officials say there are an estimated 30,000 illegal miners in South Africa, some 6,000 of which operate in abandoned mine shafts.

The government has noted an increase in illegal mining, which it estimates is worth more than $4 billion a year in gold lost to criminal syndicates.

The trade is believed to be predominantly controlled by migrants from neighboring Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, fueling anger in South African communities against criminal bosses and foreigners living in the local community.

Responding to questions from lawmakers on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the troop deployment would come alongside other measures such as strengthening anti-gang units and illegal mining task forces.

“Police will work with the National Prosecuting Authority on multi-disciplinary task teams to target the leadership, finance, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks,” Ramaphosa said.