The months following the tragic police raid on Daggafontein mine dump in Springs, South Africa, on August 26th have brought forth claims of police negligence and corruption. A trip to survivors of the raid by GroundUp journalists uncovered discrepancies between police claims and claims from survivors, pointing towards an attempted covering up of the realities of the raid.
What You Need to Know
On August 26th, South African police forces, accompanied by South African Defence Force (SANDF) personnel, undertook a raid on Daggafontein mine dump as part of operation 'Vala uMgodi', meaning 'closing the holes' in Nguni.
As the mine dump lay adjacent to a swamp, the miners, colloquially referred to as 'Zama Zamas', meaning 'to take a chance' in IsiZulu, oftentimes would flee into the swamp's reeds to evade security forces.
However, as the raid kicked off in the early hours of August 26th, the miners who had fled into the swamp's reeds found themselves engulfed in flames, with the Zama Zama's claiming the police had set the reeds on fire to drive them out from hiding.
"The soldiers wanted to kill us, and they succeeded. I've been an illegal miner since 2007, but I've never seen anything like this," said one illegal miner to local press outlet Scrolla Africa.
In the immediate aftermath of the raid, however, police claimed that forces returned to the swamp the next day to search for survivors, but "the search stopped at 11 p.m. because it was too dark and dangerous. We will keep an eye on the situation," said spokesperson Noxolo Kweza.
These claims were refuted by the area's residents, who claimed they contacted police the next day because screams could be heard from the swamp.
"We begged the soldiers to call for help, but they didn't care. Even when the police came back yesterday, they didn't bring divers or search the swamp for bodies," one resident said.
Nearly two months after the raid, survivors remain in hospitals, facing enormous hospital bills that they cannot afford to pay.
Speaking to one survivor, GroundUp journalists heard that Livison Mativenga's brother had recently succumbed to his injuries a few days prior, following the deaths of two of Mativenga's friends who were also caught up in the reed fire.
Police reports claim just one Zama Zama died in the fire, with another eight being transported to the hospital, a claim that is wildly disputed by the survivors of the raid.
Complicating matters is the undocumented status of many of the miners, who claim they are afraid to lodge a complaint or request and inquest with police for fear of being deported.
So, What Now?
Between its establishment in 2023 and early May this year, Vala uMgodi operations, which span seven provinces, had uncovered 7,130 uncut diamonds worth more than 1.7 million USD, 146 firearms, 78 vehicles, 79 trucks, $266,000, and 4,518 rounds of ammunition.
The tactics employed by the country's security services in limiting illegal mining in the country, however, are increasingly unorthodox. With xenophobia a paramount issue in the country, many of the attacks faced by Zama Zama's have a xenophobic basis. In 2023, former minister of police, Bheki Cele, alluded to the acceptance of these heavy-handed tactics when he threatened to bury Zama Zama's operating in Riverlea, near Johannesburg, alive.
"We are not going to be delaying this issue of closing those holes because there are people that are illegally there, so they must find their way out," the former minister said.
Discussion