MAD RUSH FOR GOLD IN NORTHERN HHOHHO

MBABANE – Dagga is no longer ‘Swazi Gold’ but instead, emaSwati seems to have discovered the real gold and there is now a rush to mine it.

This publication has exclusively gathered that illegal miners are now digging for gold in more places than had been previously known. It has been gathered that the mining is being done in areas surrounding the old Pigg’s Peak Mine as well as many other parts of the northern Hhohho.
The illegal gold mining setup is being done in an open-pit set-up. This means that some of the miners do not go down a mine tunnel, but that the gold is available on the surface.

Though northern Hhohho is known for dagga cultivation, it was gathered that many who once worked in the dagga fields were now involved in illegal gold mining, as it was a quicker way to make money and far more lucrative. *Joko, who confessed to being a Zama Zama, revealed that many people who were involved in dagga had resorted to mininggold because they were making much more money. He revealed that for a gram, they sold their gold at E500.

He said some of the Zama Zamas worked in groups and that they were able to make between E20 000 to over E100 000 from the gold.
Joko said the gold was sold to buyers locally who then transported it to neighbouring South Africa (SA) before it went to other countries. He said he was not sure which was the final destination for the gold, but that they were only interested in the money which they generated from the illegal mining.

He also alleged that the illegal mining was a syndicate that involved many people and allegedly included some officials who were able to transport the soil which contained the gold. Another illegal miner, *Jomo, revealed that the mining of the gold was being done both underground and on the surface. He revealed how old mines had become a target for illegal miners who had found a way of avoiding security personnel. He said one of the mines which was still being used by Zama Zamas was the one situated at the old Pigg’s Peak town. The mine was abandoned, but it still had gold deposits and had tunnels that go several metres deep into the earth.

Jomo said some of the gold is mined on the outskirts of the existing known mines such as the Lufafa Mountains as well as the outskirts of Pigg’s Peak. The Lufafa Mountains are situated around Hhelehhele under Ntfonjeni Inkhundla. It is not just the mountains that have gold deposits, but it was gathered from Jomo that some of the homesteads around Hhelehhele do have gold deposits. He revealed that some of the people were aware of the location of the gold deposits, while some were not. “Even elderly women were now involved in the illegal mining,” he said.

Meanwhile, many residents of Pigg’s Peak and the surrounding areas are concerned that illegal mining has resulted in other criminal activities including the rise in sex work involving underage girls.  This was a concern raised by some residents who called the Times of Eswatini complaining of the high number of illegal activities. Also, there were concerns that most of the Zama Zamas were armed.

The residents wondered why police officers were not taking any action to ensure the safety of residents after noticing the high number of illegal activities. They also alleged that some of the illegal miners were foreigners from countries such as Lesotho, South Africa (SA) and even Botswana.  They said some of the foreigners ended up getting stranded while working in the mines and that this forced them to commit other criminal activities such as theft.
Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, who is the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, was called for comment on the matter. She was asked about the increase in crime including the increase in illegal mining, but she said so far, the police had not observed anything. She was then asked about the reports that Zama Zama roamed freely even in Pigg’s Peak and that the gold mining was taking place in the open. However, she said so far, nothing had been reported to the police. Also, the Eswatini Mining Commissioner Robert Biyela was contacted on the matter, but he said he was not aware of the reports on Zama Zamas. “This defunct Pigg’s Peak gold mine is under the watchful eye of the army,” he stated.

Noteworthy, reports on illegal mining are not new in the region, as Zama Zamas targeted green chert, a gemstone used in construction and also making ornaments. At some point, hundreds of South Africans would enter the country illegally to mine the rock situated at Malolotja Game Reserve. However, this has since changed as a new company is currently prospecting the rock and was granted a licence to do so. Further, soldiers and a private security company have been protecting the area, where the rock is situated to keep illegal miners away.

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