South African authorities are embroiled in a standoff with an unconfirmed number of illegal miners who remain underground at ...

Surviving on a diet of toothpaste and toilet paper, South Africa's notorious "zama-zama" illegal miners continue a weeks-long ...

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe ... Illegal mining has thrived in South Africa through small-time pilfering and organized criminal networks, costing the economy billions of rands ...

Such illegal mining has long been going on across South Africa. The standoff in Stilfontein — now in its third week — has highlighted the extent of illegal mining in the country. Police ...

(AP Photo) Illegal miners in South Africa’s old mining towns — or ... all go through hell,” the doctor told the outlet. But police and locals say the miners also bring violent crime to ...

The police sealed off access to the Buffelsfontein ... been accessed by informal miners known locally as zama zamas. South Africa and its mining industry lose about 70 billion rand ($3.9 billion ...

"This act of stamping the authority of the state eventually forced these illegal miners to resurface," police said. More:American college student found dead after going missing on South Africa's ...