By Gillian Schutte
The race for critical minerals has turned South Africa’s abandoned mine dumps into battlegrounds where corporate interests clash with community survival.
These tailings, referred to as mine dumps, are the by-products of mining operations—remnants of crushed and processed ore that contain trace amounts of valuable minerals left behind after initial extraction. Typically stored in large, toxic mounds or slurry ponds, tailings include harmful chemicals used during mining processes, such as cyanide, mercury, and arsenic, as well as heavy metals like uranium, which can leach into surrounding soil and water.
In South Africa, tailings are a legacy of the country’s extensive mining history, and their impacts are evident across the landscape. For instance, the gold mines around Soweto and Kagiso have left behind uranium-contaminated tailings that continue to leak radioactive material into local water sources.
In the North West Province, platinum tailings near Rustenburg have damaged ecosystems while posing health risks to nearby communities. Similarly, the manganese tailings in the Northern Cape and coal slurry dumps in Mpumalanga highlight the environmental toll of unregulated mining waste.
Advances in technology have made these old dumps profitable again, as re-mining them allows companies to extract remaining minerals, such as gold, platinum, and rare earth elements, now considered critical for global industries like renewable energy and electronics. However, this renewed interest generally sidelines critical matters that further endanger already vulnerable communities.
A New Frontier for Corporate Exploitation
Tailings, long disregarded by mining companies, have become valuable due to advances in retreatment technology. Companies such as DRDGOLD, Pan African Resources, Harmony Gold, and West Wits Mining are leading this charge. DRDGOLD, a subsidiary of Sibanye Stillwater, operates the Ergo and Far West Gold Recoveries projects with plans to assess copper tailings in the Northern Cape.
Pan African Resources extracts gold from projects like the Elikhulu and Mogale Tailings Retreatment Plants, while Harmony Gold focuses on retreating tailings in Stilfontein and the Vaal River. West Wits Mining incorporates tailings retreatment into its Witwatersrand Basin Project, further entrenching corporate control over South Africa’s resources.
These corporations market their activities as environmentally rehabilitative, but their practices tell a different story. Cyanide and other toxic chemicals used in the process seep into the soil and groundwater, causing contamination that persists for decades. Dust from disturbed tailings carries heavy metals into the air, creating significant health risks for nearby communities.
The Myth of Rehabilitation
Despite promises of environmental stewardship, companies engage in superficial rehabilitation efforts, such as planting grass or trees on processed sites, which provide the illusion of improvement while leaving deeper issues unresolved. Retreatment destabilises tailings dams, increasing the risk of catastrophic collapses that could devastate entire regions.
“The so-called rehabilitation projects are just window dressing,” said Shawn Lethoko, National Coordinator of the National Association of Artisanal Miners (NAAM). “They may make the surface look better, but beneath, the land is poisoned. Communities still live with the fallout of contamination.”
This ongoing exploitation exacerbates the suffering of communities already burdened by the toxic legacy of mining.
Workers and Communities in the Crossfire
Ironically, many South African miners, who toiled underground for years to extract the minerals that created these tailings, are now excluded from the benefits. Much of the work associated with re-mining tailings occurs above ground, where fewer miners are required to work, which has contributed to massive layoffs.
These unemployed miners turn to artisenal mining to earn a living that is labour-intensive and hazardous, with workers facing low wages, unsafe conditions, and minimal protections, despite their contributions to an industry that generates immense wealth.
Simultaneously, artisanal miners, often labelled “illegal miners” or “zama zamas,” are criminalised and dehumanised. According to Shawn Lethoko, South African artisanal miners generally work above ground, reclaiming resources from tailings to support their families and creating livelihoods in areas abandoned by corporations. However, the zama zamas are predominantly foreign nationals who work underground, typically under the control of organised criminal syndicates.
These syndicates, such as the Basotho Gold Mafia from Lesotho and others operating out of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, exploit desperate workers, luring them into dangerous, illegal operations with false promises of pay. “These workers are trapped by syndicates. Once they join, it is almost impossible to leave. They work in fear, with no pay or protection,” Lethoko said.
The framing of zama zamas as the face of illegal mining allows corporations to justify brutal crackdowns under the pretence of restoring law and order. This narrative redirects public attention from corporate exploitation and the environmental destruction caused by their operations.
Efforts to Formalise Artisanal Mining
Organisations like NAAM and the Bench Marks Foundation are working to formalise artisanal mining, advocating for policies that separate artisanal miners from criminal elements. The South African government introduced a policy framework in 2022 aimed at integrating artisanal miners into the formal economy, but its implementation has been hindered by delays and a lack of resources.
The Corporate-State Alliance
Meanwhile, multinational corporations have aligned with the state to militarise mining zones, using operations like “Operation Vala Umgodi” (“Close the Hole”) to violently remove artisanal miners. The entombment of 4,000 miners in Stilfontein underscores the human cost of these actions, exposing the lengths to which corporations will go to secure access to tailings.
This alliance is part of a broader global trend where resource scarcity justifies increasingly aggressive tactics. Under the guise of the green economy, corporations perpetuate exploitation while presenting themselves as champions of sustainability.
Reclaiming Sovereignty
The scramble for mine tailings exposes the dangers of unchecked corporate power. Recognising artisanal miners as legitimate contributors to local economies is critical to reclaiming sovereignty over South Africa’s resources. Formalising their operations, addressing systemic neglect, and ensuring fair resource distribution are essential steps toward a more just mining sector.
Organisations like NAAM and the Bench Marks Foundation are leading these efforts, while legal actions against companies like Sibanye Stillwater demonstrate a growing demand for corporate accountability.
"If we allow corporations to continue unchecked, they will strip our resources and leave our people destitute. We need to fight for an industry that serves South Africans, not just shareholders," Lethoko said.
South Africa's citizens must act now to reclaim its resources and protect its people. Failure to do so will further bury the country’s future under the weight of corporate greed and imperial exploitation. Reclaiming sovereignty is not just an economic necessity; it is a moral imperative.
* Gillian Schutte is a filmmaker and a well-known social justice and race-justice activist and public intellectual. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.