JOHANNESBURG – South African soldiers deployed in high-crime areas have destroyed illegal gold mining operations in a community near Johannesburg, forcing some illegal miners to flee and abandon their equipment.
Police and military recovered various equipment used by illegal miners, including generators and drill machines — equipment documented by an Associated Press photographer on Thursday.
At Randfontein, about 40 kilometers (25 mi) west of Johannesburg, makeshift trenches containing the miners' food supplies and utensils were also destroyed, along with items of clothing abandoned after the miners fled.
The operations were part of a rare move by the government to deploy troops to some of the most crime-ridden areas of the country, including the Western Cape province, which includes the city of Cape Town, and the economic hub province of Gauteng.
With dozens of abandoned mine mines on the outskirts of Johannesburg, illegal mining is rife in the area as heavily armed crime syndicates and informal miners known as “Zama Zamas” enter the mines in search of leftover deposits of gold or other precious minerals.
Mining without a government license is illegal and conditions are dangerous in some places.
Other provinces with abandoned shafts, such as North West and Mpumalanga, have also experienced high levels of illegal mining, sometimes with tragic consequences.
South African National Defense Force soldiers and police officers cross a stream used by illegal miners while patrolling in Randfontein in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Credit: AP/Themba Hedebe
Authorities say there are an estimated 30,000 illegal miners in South Africa, working in some of its 6,000 abandoned mine shafts.
The government has seen an increase in illegal mining, which is estimated to be worth more than $4 billion per year in gold lost to criminal syndicates.
The trade is believed to be controlled mainly by immigrants from neighboring Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, leading to anger in South African communities against both the criminal bosses and foreigners living in the local community.
Responding to questions from lawmakers on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the troop deployment would come alongside other measures, such as strengthening anti-gang units and illegal mining operations teams.
South African National Defense Force soldiers retrieve clothing and food stores abandoned by illegal miners in Randfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, March 12, 2026. Credit: AP/Themba Hedebe
“Police will also work with the National Prosecuting Authority on multidisciplinary task teams to target the leadership, finance, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks,” Ramaphosa said.