Artisanal mining and its drivers in the South African context

Abstract

In South Africa, Zama Zama mining is a colloquial term referring to artisanal mining. This type of mining is illegal, seeing that these mining activities are conducted without a mining license. Zama Zama mining is often associated with several social ills, for example, issues related to the miners’ health and safety, environmental deprivation, child labour and the occurrence of violence and conflict within the sector. South African mining companies and law enforcement officials tend to view the solution to these problems to lie in policing this sector but are achieving little success. This article suggests an alternative, more proactive approach by exploring the drivers of artisanal gold mining in South Africa and ascertaining the responsibilities of mining companies in mitigating the drivers. A re-examination of Zama Zama mining's marginalisation could replace the current reactive ways pursued through policing and criminalising the sector with more sustainable and proactive approaches to address the sector's problems.