Bosveld Gold Mine transforming lives of former zama zamas by working with them

JOHANNESBURG - A gold mine in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is transforming the lives of former zama zamas by employing them as artisanal miners or contractors.

Bosveld Gold Mine near Pongola is working with former illegal miners in an effort to strengthen the local economy in the area and avoid bloodshed.

A key milestone in their model of working with the zama zamas was having their ringleader, Mhlonipheni Mavuso, agree to come on board.

Having lost his father at just four-years-old, Mavuso, said that his family struggled to make ends meet.

Poverty forced Mavuso into a life of illegal mining at the age of 16.

Just before he left the illegal mining industry a year ago, he was a force to be reckoned with, commanding 170 zama zamas.

He explained his life as a zama zama.

"I am not a violent person but as a zama zama, I would come across violent situations. For example, maybe we would be working and one of us would get shot by a security guard if we are cornered underground. The only way to get out is to fight. It is hard because we had to fight even though we did not understand what we were fighting for but we would fight. Sometimes people would get hurt and sometimes people would die. All because of the lack of jobs/job scarcity, it is just hard. Sometimes when you are sitting alone and thinking, you feel like an animal," said Mavuso.

Mavuso has for the past year been working as a sub-contractor to Bosveld Gold Mine in Northern KZN.

It's the same mine he previously terrorised as a zama zama ringleader.

He manages a team of about 30 former zama zamas.

WATCH: 'My name is Mhlonipheni': How a former zama zama turned his life around