# South Africa’s illegal mining crisis, and why you should care about this

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/democracy-unplugged-6911807/south-africa-s-illegal-mining-crisis-and-why-you-should-care-about-this
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/democracy-unplugged-6911807/south-africa-s-illegal-mining-crisis-and-why-you-should-care-about-this.md
Podcast: [Democracy Unplugged](https://stenobird.com/podcast/democracy-unplugged-6911807)
Published: 2026-03-05T09:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://iono.fm/e/1652619
Audio file: https://dl.iono.fm/epi/prov_3631/epi_1652619_medium.m4a?p=rss
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/democracy-unplugged-6911807/episodes/south-africa-s-illegal-mining-crisis-and-why-you-should-care-about-this
Duration seconds: 4052

## Resource

What really drives South Africa’s illegal mining crisis, and how does this impact you? Phumi Mashigo investigates the complex world of so-called “zama zama” miners and the forces that keep the underground economy alive. She is joined by guests Sabelo Mnguni, National Coordinator at Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA); Kgothatso Nhlengetwa, Artisanal Mining Specialist and founding Director at Imbokodo Mining Services; and African Transformation Movement’s Vuyo Zungula. Together they explore why illegal mining has become such a deeply entrenched challenge in South Africa, and why policing alone may never solve it. The Burning Platform

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