Johannesburg illegal mining wrecks roads and power

Illegal mining is damaging roads, power equipment, homes and buildings across Johannesburg and nearby areas, while residents and officials say armed mining gangs have brought new danger to communities.

Parts of Wemmer Pan Road in Johannesburg have collapsed, and cracks and sinkholes have appeared along the route after underground blasting by irregular miners digging for gold and other minerals.

Residents say they have felt tremors from blasting and heard shootouts in some areas. Michael Sun, a member of the Gauteng provincial legislature, said illegal miners steal electricity cables, damage water pipes and dig up roads.

City Power spokesman Isaac Mangena said underground excavations had weakened ground stability and put substations, transformers, pylons and transmission towers at risk. He said some infrastructure had already begun to sink as illegal mining expanded below the surface.

Illegal miners in South Africa are known locally as zama zamas. They often work in abandoned mine shafts or dig new ones, sometimes spending days underground. Many are armed, and officials say competition between groups has increased crime.

President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops across Gauteng province in March to reinforce police operations against crime and illegal mining.

Johannesburg grew from a gold rush in the 1880s and still has hundreds of abandoned shafts along the main gold reef. Mining expert David van Wyk said many shafts are filled with acidic water that contributes to sinkholes, and he estimated that South Africa has more than 34,000 irregular miners.

Outside Carletonville, west of Johannesburg, local councillor Moiketsi Ntilane said zama zamas had taken over an abandoned school and made families afraid. In Bapong, in North West province, residents said large pits dug by miners seeking chrome deposits remained a danger to homes and children even after patrols pushed miners back.