South Africa’s richest province at risk as illegal mining sinks roads and bridges

Roads and bridges across Gauteng, South Africa’s economic hub, are crumbling under the pressure of illegal gold mining. Entire highways and towns risk collapse as thousands of abandoned mine tunnels beneath the province weaken the ground.

Underground tunnels left by former legal mines are now targets for illegal miners known as zama zamas, who burrow through the rock searching for leftover gold. These miners destroy crucial underground support beams, turning the landscape above into a hidden trap. In some cases, it’s not just sinkholes, it’s full tunnel collapses right beneath road surfaces.

The University of Pretoria has documented a lot of subsidence and sinkhole incidents linked to this growing crisis. Major roads like the N12, Rondebult Road, and Snake Road are among those affected. In central Johannesburg, parts of Eloff Street have caved in twice. “It’s a tunnel under the road, not just a sinkhole,” said private security operative Marius van der Merwe. “And it’s happening in multiple places.”

Beneath the surface, tunnels are littered with abandoned tools, food scraps, and makeshift crushers called pandukas, machines built from electric gate motors to crush rocks for trace gold. These operations release mercury and cyanide, polluting underground water sources and endangering surrounding communities. The Citizen newspaper reports that entire pop-up settlements now support illegal miners near Putfontein, offering food stalls and childcare services.

Efforts to intervene face a violent response because Zama zamas operate in armed, tight-knit groups. As Gauteng’s land continues to sink, residents fear lives may be lost before action is taken.

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