South African soldiers deployed to combat crime in high-risk areas have dismantled an illegal gold mining operation near Johannesburg, forcing miners to flee and abandon equipment, authorities said.
The raid occurred in Randfontein, approximately 40 kilometres west of Johannesburg, where troops and police recovered generators, drilling machines, and makeshift shelters containing food and clothing. The operation is part of a rare government initiative to deploy the army in the country’s most crime-ridden provinces, including Gauteng and the Western Cape.
With thousands of abandoned mine shafts dotted around Johannesburg, illegal mining—often conducted by heavily armed syndicates and informal miners known locally as zama zamas—has become widespread. These miners risk dangerous conditions to extract residual gold and other minerals from outdated shafts. Mining without a state licence is illegal, and many operations are linked to severe accidents and fatalities.
The government estimates there are about 30,000 illegal miners working across some 6,000 abandoned shafts nationwide. The illicit trade is valued at over $4 billion annually in lost gold revenues, largely controlled by criminal networks. Authorities note that many of these syndicates are operated by migrants from neighbouring Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, a factor that has heightened social tensions in affected communities.
President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the troop deployments would be accompanied by broader measures, including the strengthening of anti-gang units and specialised illegal mining task teams. He stated that multi-disciplinary teams would target the leadership, finances, firearms, and logistics of criminal networks.
“The police will also be working with the National Prosecuting Authority on multi-disciplinary task teams to target the leadership, finances, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks,” Ramaphosa told lawmakers.
The continued presence of soldiers in crime hotspots signals a significant escalation in the state’s response to organised crime and illegal mining, activities that undermine both public safety and the formal mining economy. Further operations are expected as authorities seek to dismantle the infrastructure supporting these clandestine operations.
