‘Zama Zama’ and leftovers: The recycling of ore in abandoned gold mines in South Africa

Abstract

Despite increased restrictions and security measures imposed on abandoned gold mines by the South African government amidst recent deaths and the ongoing debate about the place of ‘illegal mining’, unlicensed miners, known as ‘zama zamas’ continue to insert themselves into the economy by engaging in practices of scavenging, recycling and reworking of leftover gold ore. Increasingly, abandoned gold mines exemplify the physical ruins that articulate the collapse of the regional mining industry despite the resurgence of the extractive industries in other African countries. While a growing body of literature deals with such miners, their working practices have not been approached from the perspective of recycling/reworking: a practice that is growing and which reveals aspects of the contemporary form that capitalism is taking. In South Africa recycling or reworking of gold bearing ore in abandoned commercial mines is a growing practice. The extraction of residual gold ore from the ruins of capital-intensive enterprises is carried out informally and, according to the state, illegally. This paper explores how, in response to the retrenchment of mine workers from South African mines and the ensuing high unemployment in the country and sub region, ordinary people have inserted themselves into the economy to rework the gold ore that has been left by large scale gold mining companies. It documents how ‘illegal’ miners extract and rework gold bearing ore in the ruins of commercial mines and how recycling becomes an integral part of their livelihood and trade. Finally, the paper draws on extant literature and the author's ethnographic observations of artisanal and small-scale miners, known as zama zamas, and uses innovation as a lens.