[Image: Nigel Game Park / Facebook]
More than 50 zama zamas have taken over the Nigel Game Park in Ekurhuleni, using it as a campsite while mining underground from two old mine shafts.
The illegal miners have reportedly dug two ventilation tunnels that reach the surface of the park, where they process minerals they mine illegally.
At night, the group brazenly camp out in the open with makeshift kitchens, generators and phendukas to support their mining operation.
The area has now become so dangerous that visitors are staying away, and even the wildlife is now under threat. The park, once known for its peaceful setting and home to animals such as springboks, zebras, ostriches, ducks and geese.
Concerned residents teamed up with law enforcement officers in a joint operation on 28 March to shut down the tunnels, but despite closing the entrances, the Zama zamas opened them shortly afterwards.
Ward 88 councillor Wollaston Labuschagne said the illegal miners simply came back a week after being chased by the cops.
“When they saw the police, they ran into the tunnel. We managed to close it, but they reopened it a week later.”
Labuschagne also raised concerns about the lack of action from the city. He said the MMC for Environment and Waste Management, Leshaka Manamela, told council his last visit to the park was in February 2024.
“Both the MMC and department staff have known about this for more than a year, but they’ve done nothing,” said Labuschagne. “I’ve sent the MMC many requests for help, but no one from the city has spoken to me.”
Local resident Caroline Maseko said the park used to be a quiet escape for residents and tourists. “It’s now a scary place. People don’t go there like they used to,” she said.
[Source: Scrolla]
