Basotho Mineworkers and zama zama in Disused Commercial Gold Mines in Gauteng Province, South Africa

For a long time in the industrial configuration of Southern Africa, many South African neighbouring countries have been popularly known as the labour reserve economy for South African mines—and other industries. However, after the 1990s, employment opportunities for many in the mines started to decline as many mineworkers were retrenched. This led to declining means of livelihoods for many rural households in the region. The rural production shifted towards informal income activities that include zama zama or illegal mining. The significance of zama zama has increased, and most of the illegal mineworkers are unemployed South Africans, and those from the neighbouring countries such as Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. With these groups coming together to work on disused gold mines, their interactions are often marred with conflicts, violence and killings in some cases. Looking at the case of Basotho illegal migrant mineworkers, this chapter explores the relationship between zama zama, conflict, mobility, turf wars and violence in disused gold mines in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The chapter further demonstrates the conflicts between different groups of Basotho illegal migrant mineworkers in underground, disused mines in a foreign country, South Africa. This chapter draws from the author’s doctoral thesis, extant literature and the researcher’s observations and experience in the study of unlicensed artisanal diamond mining in the highlands of Lesotho.