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Free state farmer receives death threats after he calls police to evict trespassers from his property
When Free State Agriculture last week issued a warning to farmers to make sure that remote areas of their farms were not occupied by illegal miner workers – called zama zamas – it was too late for farmer Pieter du Preez*.
Du Preez (32), who farms between Odendaalsrus and Bothaville, found the illegal mine workers sneaking around on his farm.
The zama zamas were using a dilapidated farmhouse not far from his own house for their “venture” and this has made him even more nervous.
“I didn’t even know they were there,” said the mealie farmer.
“The workers came to call me on Monday morning. The old house was full of empty boxes and empty beer cans. They were busy packing food for their partners, who live underground.
“I immediately phoned the police, but two days later I received a death threat over the phone. It was one of the trespassers.
“He said I was ‘interfering’ in his business and that he was going to shoot me while I was asleep. When I told him to get his own place to live in, he responded by saying he would also kill my wife and child. Then he hung up.”
The Free State goldfields have for years been struggling with illegal mine workers, who break into closed mines and scavenge the remains.
“Anything from ore to pieces of old train track,” said Du Preez.
The mine workers are armed and the underground population in Welkom is already estimated to have grown to 170, said Free State Agriculture.
The zama zamas are mostly foreigners. Their partners send food down to them every day so that they can survive in the dark.
“Some of them live underground for six months at a time,” said another farmer in the area.
“In the past week, we have issued warnings to farmers in Odendaalsrus, Welkom, Virginia and Allanridge,” said Alani Janeke, spokesperson for Free State Agriculture.
“We’ve specifically warned against the occupation of empty houses and structures on farms. We want to encourage farmers to be prepared and to regularly visit buildings to ensure they are not being illegally occupied.”
Rudi Janse van Vuuren, Free State Agriculture’s safety coordinator in Odendaalsrus, said the local police were working very hard to curb illegal mining.
“It’s going to be a big mess if they continue to occupy farms,” he said.
In the meantime, men like Du Preez were camping out on their stoep in fear, armed with guns and night-vision goggles.
“My people said they [zama zamas] occupied my empty farmhouse for a packaging area. Somebody rolled a bakkie onto the farm road near my house. I also didn’t know about that.
“Bystanders said a well-dressed man with rolls of money and a firearm got out of the vehicle and ran away. A short while later, the bakkie vanished without a trace.
“I phoned around, but nobody who tows vehicles in the area knew anything about the bakkie.” – Rapport
* Not his real name
