A bloody tavern shooting in Bekkersdal has once again laid bare the violent underworld of illegal mining, with police and residents pointing to an escalating turf war between rival zama zama groups fighting for control of gold-bearing mineshafts in the area.
Ten people were killed and 10 others wounded when gunmen opened fire at the KwaNoxolo tavern on 21 December. While the attackers were reported to have demanded cellphones and money during the chaos, residents say the massacre cannot be understood as a simple robbery. Instead, they believe it was the latest and deadliest chapter in a long-running struggle for dominance among illegal miners operating in and around abandoned and operational shafts near Bekkersdal.
Locals say running gun battles between rival zama zama groups have become a grim feature of daily life. Armed men are known to live among residents while operating from nearby disused shafts, with violence frequently spilling into surrounding neighbourhoods.
Resident Veli Hlabane described the tavern attack as the culmination of tensions that had been building for weeks.
“There have been tensions and sporadic shootings between these groups for weeks. They are fighting over control of abandoned shafts in this area. We thought the situation had calmed down because there had been no incidents for some time, but clearly it escalated,” Hlabane added.
Police have now confirmed that the apparent turf war forms a key part of their investigation into the massacre. A police officer stationed in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to brief the media, said loosely affiliated zama zama groupings around Bekkersdal regularly clash over access to mineshafts.
“These shootings are a result of illegal mining,” the officer said.
He explained that the groups are contesting shafts linked to Sibanye, some of which are still operational, and that no single group has exclusive control.
“These groups contest shafts linked to Sibanye, some of which are still operational, and the fighting often spills over into the communities around them. There is no single group that controls these shafts exclusively.”
According to the officer, alliances between the illegal miners are fragile and often short-lived.
“Some of them work together for a specific objective, but they can quickly turn on each other over disputes involving gold-bearing material. When that happens, it manifests in shootings and opportunistic crimes like robberies, which is what we saw in this case.”
In the days following the massacre, police operations in Westonaria led to a series of arrests linked to illegal mining and the unlawful possession of firearms. On Monday, five of the 11 suspects arrested appeared briefly in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court. At this stage, the five face charges only related to the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, not murder or attempted murder.
The accused, all Basotho nationals, appeared wearing dirty overalls and gumboots, with two of them barefoot. In terms of a court order, they may not be named or identified as an identity parade has yet to be conducted. Members of the public were also ordered to leave the courtroom during the proceedings.
The matter was postponed to Tuesday to allow the accused time to obtain legal representation and for possible bail applications to be heard.
Outside court, Bekkersdal resident Shimi Khokho said he attended the proceedings because he believed he had been robbed by the same suspects hours before the tavern shooting.
“These guys jumped out of the kombi they were travelling in, slapped me across the face and took my cellphone and money. They then drove off. Later that night I heard about the shootings,” Khokho said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said the arrests followed targeted operations by mine security officers, who were conducting random searches to curb armed illegal mining in the area. During one operation, officers raided two houses and arrested eight suspected zama zamas. Three unlicenced firearms with loaded magazines were recovered, along with a bottle containing a substance suspected to be mercury, commonly used in illegal gold processing.
In a separate incident in the same area, two more suspects were arrested after allegedly being found in possession of an AK-47 with 31 rounds of ammunition and a pistol loaded with four rounds.
Masondo said further investigations revealed that some of the suspects were tenants of a South African national who has since been arrested for allegedly harbouring undocumented immigrants and defeating the ends of justice.
The police probe has also widened to include the business where the massacre took place. Officers have arrested the 46-year-old owner of the KwaNoxolo tavern after investigations revealed that the establishment was operating with a fraudulent liquor licence. She is expected to face charges of fraud and operating an unlicenced liquor outlet. The tavern has been shut down and liquor found on the premises has been confiscated.
As investigations continue, residents say the violence linked to illegal mining has left them living in fear, with gunfire no longer an uncommon sound in the streets of Bekkersdal. Police say more arrests are expected as they tighten their grip on armed zama zama groups operating in the area.
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