PIGG’S PEAK – As you read this text, there are likely about 30 zama zamas mining gold illegally, stealing millions of Emalangeni while government watches helplessly.
Beneath the forests and quiet valleys of Pigg’s Peak lies a scandal of staggering proportions: Tens of thousands of tonnes of gold-bearing ore, enough to generate between E700 million and E1.4 billion, are being siphoned out of the earth by zama zamas – illegal miners – while the State stands by, seemingly powerless to stop them.
In fact, it has been reported in the past that members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) keep guard of the Pigg’s Peak Gold Mine, 24 hours a day.
About seven kilometres away is the Pigg’s Peak police station, where officers also ensure that crime does not take place in their vicinity. Despite this, zama zamas are operating freely.
It is not the first time Eswatini News has reported about illegal mining activities at the mine. Times of Eswatini News, Eswatini News as well as Times SUNDAY have covered stories of these illegal activities, including reports of raids by police officers that resulted in the arrest of some of the illegal miners.
However, within hours of the raids, zama zamas return even in larger numbers, allegedly operating in groups of up to 30 per shift.
But, do you know how much gold exists in the gold-rich mountainous terrain?
About 75 000 tonnes of gold-rich ore which could generate from 350 to 700 kilogrammes of gold are said to be available.
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Illegal miners strike ‘new gold’
Some zama zamas, who spoke anonymously in fear of arrest, claimed they had recently struck a new vein of gold.
In a matter of less than a week, they said, their operations generated over E1 million in revenue. For a country with one of the highest youth unemployment rates in southern Africa, the allure is obvious. “Many of them are now buying cars,” said one of the miners. “Do not take my word for it, just drive around the area and see the flashy cars parked in different homesteads and its young drivers going to the shops, then ask around what job they wake up to,”said the miner.
One mining expert who spoke on condition of anonymity, when shown the figures and landscape of the old mine said: “What these illegal miners call survival, the State must recognise as theft on an epic scale. The ore they are stealing belongs to the nation. It could fund hospitals, schools and infrastructure. Instead, it vanishes into the shadows, enriching smuggling syndicates and foreign buyers”.
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Police arrests, fleeting victories
Over the past decade, the Royal Eswatini Police Service has mounted periodic raids in Pigg’s Peak and nearby Bulembu.
Officers have arrested groups of miners and even confiscated illegal mining equipment.
In 2019, a major police operation swept through Pigg’s Peak, capturing more than a dozen miners.
The following year, authorities deployed the army to patrol the forests and mountains. For a moment, it seemed the State might finally regain control. But today, the tunnels are once again active. In fact, according to credible sources, the zama zamas themselves, this is said to be happening daily.
“The zama zamas have outlasted us,” admitted a retired police officer who alleged that some of the gold dealings are done in town. We would arrest five; the next week 12 more would seem to take their place. We were fighting shadows.”
Meanwhile, the amount of money being stolen in the form of gold by the zama zamas dwarfs many of Eswatini’s development budgets.
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Tunnels dangerous, could collapse anytime
The danger that illegal miners subject themselves to by entering the old mine tunnels is not a secret.
The mine has been officially closed for over 60 years ago and has not been maintained since them. Normally, in a mine, workers do so only when experts have ensured that the mining is safe and that the possibility of collapsing is minimised. This is not the case at the Pigg’s Peak mine.
At the mine, illegal miners from as far as Lesotho, Botswana and South Africa (SA) have been living in the country for the illegal activity. This also includes emaSwati who claim that due to the high rate of unemployment in the country, they are forced to engage in the illegal mining activities.
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Cops, soldiers failing to control illegal mining?
MBABANE – Have officers entrusted to put an end to illegal mining failed to do so?
As far as the public is concerned, the answer is ‘yes’. The Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni stated that it is not correct that the police had failed to curb the illegal activity.
Mnguni said this is because the police are prepared to fight crime at all cost. She said if the police were to find the zama zamas illegally mining, they would arrest them. Also, she said the members of the public should inform the police whenever there are reports that people are illegally mining.
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Formalise zama zamas – economist
MBABANE – It is practically impossible for the police to stop the activities of zama zamas or illegal miners.
This was noted by economist, Thembinkosi Dube. He revealed that the ‘metal black market’ is very big. He said this is because many people assume that individuals who deal in metals are ordinary citizens, but this is not the case. He said the market is so big that it even has the potential to affect international market of the metals such as gold. He said in Eswatini, illegal dealing in metals also involves dealing in platinum.
Dube said illegal mining was not so different from illegal cultivation of cannabis. He said there were people making a living out of this. He said abruptly stopping this activity could mean that they would lose jobs.
However, the bad side of it is that if it is not stopped, it affects the economy of the country as it ends up devalues the real price of metals.
*Full article available in our publication.
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