world · The Guardian
Sinkholes, scarred land and scapegoats: the scourge of illegal gold mining in Johannesburg
Friday, October 30, 2026 · 5:00 AM
There is no end in sight for the drivers of illegal mining, while police action appears ineffective Cora Bailey has been encountering illegal miners ever since she first started treating injured animals in the townships around Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 1991. But as the price of gold has soared, so too has activity in the abandoned mine shafts that mark the area. In late September, dozens of zama zamas – th
This dispatch was composed for The Fennark Chronicle from a public news wire. The original publisher holds the full report; Fennark reprints the lead for this edition's page.
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