A recent collapse at a disused mining site near Rustenburg in North West province killed at least 14 suspected illegal miners in August, with several others injured and more potentially trapped underground. Police said the miners were extracting minerals from a disused site.
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South Africa is the world’s largest chrome producer, and the mineral is an important raw material for stainless steel and other industrial products. But illegal extraction has expanded around chrome-producing areas, with criminal networks reportedly controlling equipment, transportation and access to buyers.
Many of those working in the illegal mines are vulnerable migrants from countries including Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, alongside unemployed South Africans and former mineworkers. The work often takes place in abandoned or unstable mine sites without proper safety equipment or geological assessments.
South African authorities have increased operations against illegal mining, including Operation Vala Umgodi, which targets criminal syndicates, illegal miners and the movement of illicitly mined minerals. Officials say illegal mining is also connected to organised crime, illicit financial flows and undocumented migration.
The chrome trade therefore presents a difficult contradiction: South Africa’s mineral wealth generates significant economic value, while vulnerable workers at the bottom of the illicit supply chain bear some of the greatest risks.
