POLOKWANE - Illegal mining is digging deep, wrecking communities, trashing the environment, and pocketing the economy’s spare change.
Government has tried to step in but still, the problem keeps slipping through the cracks.
Kgothaso Nhlengethwa, a specialist on Artisanal Mining, said "The problem with illegal mining is that it's a very complex issue. There are levels: the Zama Zama miner we see on the ground. The second level is the gold buyers. And the third level is the level of the gold distributors. Now we see this on the ground."
"But the fourth and fifth level are the ones that we should be nipping at the bud, we call it "the invisible layer."
"And that's the gold distributors that make the gold go from illegal to legal, rather. And then lastly, the international buyers."
"And this is why we cannot curb illegal mining, because it's run by the political elite and some people in corporate who actually want the status quo to remain.
"Unfortunately, for the safety of my life, I cannot reveal names. But we in the industry do know who the players are. And we are trying our best to make sure that we evade as much as possible. "
In Ga-Nkoana village, residents say years of pleading for intervention have yielded little change, as illegal miners dig beneath homes, schools, and even the R-37 provincial road.