Zama Zamas battle for territory

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Published Aug 13, 2015

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Johannesburg - The sound of gunshots rang out for hours in Daveyton, Benoni, on Thursday morning, in what was believed to be a territorial battle by rival groups of illegal miners.

A large contingent of police and metro police officers restricted the crime scene from the public while trying to defuse the tense situation.

This is just days after the bodies of four illegal miners – known as zama zamas – were found in the same area, with gunshot wounds to the head.

Several SAPS vehicles were parked along the road near the veld where the battle was ongoing, while others could be seen further into the disused mine shaft.

Even the dog unit and ambulances were called in as police tried to calm the situation that had been raging since the early hours of the morning.

Police spokesman Warrant Officer Ramothaki Maqabe, who was at the scene this morning, told The Star that the shoot-out between the suspected rival miners started at 5.30am.

By 9.30am, gunshots could still be heard.

Zama zamas break into abandoned or disused mines to mine those areas for gold again, and over the years, rival gangs have taken on each other, often killing each other’s members or those associated with them.

In April, five other men were shot and killed, allegedly at the hands of a rival gang. They too were found with gunshot wounds at the top of a mine shaft.

In February, the bodies of four suspected zama zamas were found on the same stretch of road as this recent incident.

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The Star

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