Publication
“We’ll smoke them out”: The Criminalisation of Artisanal Mining in South Africa and the Tragedy of Stilfontein
In early 2025, police announced that operation ‘Vala Mgodi’ (Close the Holes) had been completed at the Buffelsfontein gold mine near Stilfontein. It is estimated that approximately 100 ‘illegal’ miners died as a result of the operation. This paper explores the background conditions and policy context which led to this avoidable tragedy, and makes recommendations as to how artisanal and small scale mining should be addressed in future.
Product details
Date of Publication
August 2025
Publisher
Heinrich Boell Foundation
Number of Pages
21
Licence
Language of publication
English