Mine overseer: If it's unsafe, do not blast.
Miner: Okay.
Next day
Mine overseer: Did you blast?
Miner: It was unsafe. I didn’t blast.
Mine overseer: Yeeeh wena, don't tell me shit.
Miner:
I was in the Pilgrim’s Rest area and decided to grab something to drink. It’s a small town, so everything was already closed, and I ended up driving into the nearest township. I had no idea how heavily that area was infiltrated by Zama Zamas.
The moment they saw my bakkie, there was a noticeable shift, people started panicking. I realised the situation wasn’t normal, but I also didn’t want to draw attention by suddenly driving off. So I decided to keep it low-key: walk in, buy what I needed, and leave.
Inside the tavern, there were easily hundreds of them still in their mining gear, dirty, some with headlamps on. I walked in confidently and went straight to the counter, but before I could even finish, their kingpin approached and grabbed me.
I asked the person behind the counter what was going on. He said he wasn’t sure, but suspected they thought I was police based on how I looked and the vehicle I was driving. I asked him to help me, but he refused.
They dragged me into a small room where I was surrounded more than 30 of them. They started interrogating me, asking who I was, where I came from, and what I wanted. They were even recording me while questioning me. I tried to explain that I was just passing through and wanted to buy a few drinks, but they didn’t believe me.
At one point they asked if I was Sotho. I said no. The tension kept building, and they tried to intimidate me. I knew what Zama Zamas are capable of, especially that group so I focused on convincing them I wasn’t police.
Eventually, a South African guy stepped in and started questioning me as well. After a while, he realised I wasn’t a threat and told them to let me go.
Before releasing me, they warned me never to come back to that area.
Honestly, that was one of the most traumatising moments of my life. Knowing their history and their relationship with law enforcement, I genuinely felt like anything could have happened in that room.
[POLICE RECRUITMENT] “I am pleased to announce that before the end of June 2025, we will be advertising the recruitment of 5500 police trainees to join our ranks. Their training will commence between January and February 2026. You will remember that we have increased the age limit to join our ranks to 35 years of age in line with the National Youth Policy.”
~ Gen S.F. Masemola, National Commissioner of the South African Police Service