Rand West City Mayor William Matsheke has formally called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to deploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) across the municipality to quell surging violence linked to illegal mining syndicates that have terrorised local communities.
Matsheke made the appeal during a visit to the Sporong informal settlement in Randfontein on Wednesday where heavily armed illegal miners commonly known as zama zamas forced more than 600 residents to flee their homes, seeking shelter at Randgate Hall after a wave of shootings, threats and intimidation.
Illegal mining has become deeply entrenched in Gauteng’s West Rand, where abandoned gold shafts and derelict mine land create fertile ground for criminal networks who dig for gold and other minerals outside legal frameworks. These groups, often comprised of undocumented migrants from neighbouring countries, are notorious for illegal arms possession, turf disputes and violent crime, heightening danger for surrounding communities.
The crisis reached a brutal flashpoint in December, when gunmen opened fire at the KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal, killing at least 10 people and injuring others in one of the deadliest township shootings in recent months. Authorities say attackers arrived in vehicles before spraying the bar with bullets, randomly shooting patrons and fleeing, in what investigators are probing for links to ongoing illegal mining conflicts over access to shafts and turf.
Police have since arrested 11 suspects, seizing multiple unlicensed firearms including an AK-47 and several pistols and also apprehending a South African mine employee accused of harbouring undocumented tenants and obstructing justice.
Matsheke says the assault in Bekkersdal — along with a series of shootings, kidnappings and armed threats in Sporong — underscores the collapse of law and order in parts of the municipality.
“Immediately after the attack in Bekkersdal, we wrote to the Premier of Gauteng requesting intervention for him to approach the Commander-in-Chief of the SANDF, who is the President, to come and assist our SAPS personnel,” Matsheke told Newsnote.
The violence has drawn national condemnation. Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources and the South African Human Rights Commission have both blasted the forced displacement and rising criminality tied to illegal mining, calling for coordinated action to protect vulnerable communities and restore constitutional order.
Residents have begun returning home following the deployment of additional police units and government promises of RDP housing for affected families, but many remain wary.
