Riverlea residents remain concerned about informal settlement and alleged links to illegal mining

JOHANNESBURG - The community of Riverlea said illegal mining stems from an informal settlement, which remains a cause for concern. 

The Zamimpilo informal settlement has been raided on several occasions following heightened tensions in the area, which saw the community stage several protests in 2023. 

This after a war between rival zama zama gangs erupted, claiming the life of one innocent resident and leaving the community in fear.

Last year, the Riverlea community handed over a petition to government, calling for the demolishment of the Zamimpilo informal settlement. 

READ: Riverlea Mining Forum remains concerned about rising water levels at area's mining shafts

And despite police and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) conducting several raids and confiscating illegal mining equipment, the zama zamas are back in the area, having gained access to shafts which were previously closed by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).  

Chairperson of the Riverlea Ratepayers’ Association, Anthony Sherman, said government had yet to deal with their concerns around Zamimpilo.

"A lot of the illegal mining activity finds it springboard right here in Zamimpilo because you find the zama zamas live there, they work here, their shafts are in this camp. If you see an empty shack, you know there is a shaft in that shack."

In an attempt to rid the area of zama zamas, DMRE spent millions in closing several shafts in the region, however, when Eyewitness News visited these shafts, zama zamas had found ways to enter by digging holes just a few metres away.