APA-Johannesburg (South Africa) South African police are investigating the death of five suspected illegal foreign miners who were found with gunshot wounds in Johannesburg’s Riverlea area on Sunday.
Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo said the deceased could have been victims of violence between rival groups of illegal miners, known locally as Zama Zamas – loosely, “ones who try their luck” in isiZulu language.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that two rival groups of the illegal miners were shooting at each in the area, and that led to the death of five people,” Masondo said in a statement late Sunday.
He said the South African Police Services has dispatched the Tactical Response Team and Public Order Policing officials to monitor Riverlea and the nearby Zamimpilo informal settlement.
Gang violence is not new among the Zama Zamas – mostly undocumented migrants from neighbouring Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe – who comb abandoned gold and diamond mines in South Africa for leftover minerals.
Syndicates with suspected political connections are in charge of the operations, with armed militias fighting over turf, both at the surface and underground.
JN/APA