“Mostly it is us Zimbabweans and Mozambicans, who engage in illegal mining, but there are many other players like some South Africans who rob and at times stab those coming from the mines and they do this on the pretext that they are taking back the gold that rightfully belongs to them as South African nationals,” he said.
In the largely South African Zulu language, the illegal miners have earned the derogatory name zama-zama, which means people who try anything to earn a living and, according to Tendai, this fuels the hatred from the South Africans.
Tendai alleged that robbers, mostly South Africans, often laid siege on roads leading from mines.
“They ambush us on our way from the mines because they know we will be carrying gold bearing rocks or soil and they kill those who resist and despite us coming from the mines in large groups, we still face robbers who also come in larger numbers,” he said.
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