Cape Town: AfricUpdate – News Desk
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) K9 Unit, along with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and private security, uncovered an illegal, clandestine gold refinery operating in Booysens, Johannesburg.
Four suspects have since been arrested, with them attempting to bribe officers R20,000 for their release. This includes three individuals, two males and one female, identified as suspected illegal miners (Zama Zamas) and the male manager of the facility. The suspects have been formally charged with the contravention of the Precious Metals Act and attempted bribery.
Authorities seized gold-bearing material and processed gold with an estimated street value of R1 million. MMC for Public Safety in the city, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, said that the facility, believed to be a key processing hub for Zama Zama cartels, was raided on 28 October 2025. While the facility holds legal registration to process precious metals, investigations revealed it was illegally processing gold-bearing material for illegal miners, a contravention of its registered mandate.
He said that the facility has been shut down pending further investigation. “By targeting critical infrastructure such as this refinery, authorities aim to choke the financial lifelines sustaining Zama Zama criminal networks.” The operation was conducted by the JMPD K-9 Unit in collaboration with the DPCI and two Private Security companies following “intensive intelligence-gathering and surveillance.”
JMPD Acting Chief of Police, Acting Commissioner Eldred Fortein, said that “this joint operation sends a clear message, the JMPD, alongside the Hawks, is aggressively targeting the entire value chain of illegal mining.”
“We are not just focusing on the individuals underground, but on the sophisticated, illegitimate infrastructure, like this refinery, that enables illegal miners to operate. We will continue to disrupt these criminal networks that threaten the safety and economic stability of our city,” added Fortein. The JMPD and DPCI remain committed to rooting out illegal mining activities and restoring safety and legality to affected communities.
According to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, there has been an increase in illegal mining in the country with miners risking their lives to mine in completely unsafe and hazardous conditions. These illegal activities have become fodder for crime syndicates who control mineshafts. David Van Wyk, a researcher with the Bench Marks Foundation, an NGO that works on issues surrounding illegal miners, told NPR there are some 6,000 abandoned mines in South Africa.
“It’s basically a free-for-all that has evolved and that has resulted in (illegal) mine workers becoming super exploited, and the police never arrest the mining syndicates that control them,” said Van Wyk. Meanwhile, he says, the criminal kingpins are getting rich off illegally mined gold. “We have recommended to government that they regulate small-scale and artisanal mining and that they make these operations legal. So long as these operations are illegal, they fall prey to syndicates,” he said.
“Everyone is profiting from it except the poor guys who find themselves starved underground.” Illegal mining has made a considerable dent in economy. According to the South African government, the cost of illegal mining is estimated to be over R70 billion annually in gold alone and resulting in huge losses of revenue for both government and the mining sector. Importantly, these illegal activities have a negative impact on the safety and health of surrounding communities. This also impacts the overall well-being of the environment and is a risk to the sustainability of the mining industry.
