Sinkholes, scarred land and scapegoats: The scourge of illegal gold mining in Johannesburg

Source: The Namibian · 2026-11-05T15:00:00.000Z · Politics

Cora Bailey has been encountering illegal miners ever since she first started treating injured animals in the townships around Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 1991. But as the price of gold has soared, so too has activity in the abandoned mine shafts that mark the area. In late September, dozens of illegal miners arrived to dig for gold across the dirt road from her charity, Community Led Animal Welfare (Claw). Soon, they were taking water for their panning and processing from the organisation’s two 25 000-litre water tanks, which are filled irregularly by the city government for the 100 or

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