The South African Police Service (SAPS) has detailed a series of urgent actions taken since January 2024 to address ongoing complaints from residents of Primrose, Ekurhuleni, about illegal mining activities. The operations aim to curb frequent underground explosions that residents say have caused sleepless nights and structural damage to homes.

According to SAPS, the Primrose Police Station has conducted 61 targeted operations against illegal mining in the past 19 months – 44 in 2024 and 17 so far this year. These have resulted in 110 criminal cases being opened, the seizure of 111 firearms, more than 1 700 rounds of ammunition, and the arrest of 676 undocumented persons. Police also confiscated nearly 1 700 pieces of illicit mining equipment, 218 generators, and liquor valued at more than R7.8 million.

SAPS said its efforts have been supported by regular stakeholder engagements, including a multi-disciplinary meeting in October 2024 with the Department of Community Safety and the Gauteng Premier’s Office to establish a unified approach to tackling the so-called Zama Zamas. Joint operations continue with the Provincial and Ekurhuleni District Visible Policing units, alongside the Primrose Community Policing Forum.

In June this year, police identified new illegal shafts believed to be part of a wider underground network. However, SAPS admitted that the nature of illegal mining has shifted towards extensive underground blasting, posing challenges due to a lack of specialised training and equipment for policing such environments. The department also reported two recent violent incidents targeting officers during arrests, in which firearms and ammunition were recovered.

SAPS stressed that illegal mining remains a national crisis requiring a coordinated, multi-departmental response. It rejected claims that it has failed to respond to the community’s written complaints, stating that the operational record demonstrates an active and ongoing effort to address the problem.