Penuel The Black Pen@penuelist_
Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Working with Illegal Miners (Zama-zama's) in South Africa
Mounting frustration over poor pay, early retirement policies, and growing dissatisfaction within the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is reportedly pushing some soldiers into the dangerous world of illegal mining, where they earn quick cash by providing security for gold smugglers in South Africa.
Several soldiers are said to be “sneaking” across the border to work in South African illegal mines, acting as armed escorts when gold-bearing soil is transported from abandoned shafts to miners’ hideouts in local townships.
Illegal mining groups from Lesotho, commonly known as Makhomosha, are operating at abandoned South African mines. While the ultimate buyers of the gold remain unclear, the trade - once associated with famo gangsters - is now pursued by others purely for profit. Rivalries are fierce and often violent.
Last week, LDF member Commando Corporal (Cpl) Molise Molieleng was reportedly shot dead during a gunfight between rival Zama Zama (illegal mining) groups vying for control of a shaft in West Rand, South Africa.
According to one illegal miner, soldiers are recruited to protect miners as they emerge from underground shafts, where exposure to sudden light after months in darkness makes them vulnerable to attacks by rival groups seeking to seize gold-bearing soil.
For many soldiers, the financial incentive is hard to resist.
A single weekend stint reportedly earns
between R20,000 and R30,000, with some operations paying up to R100,000 depending on the size of the load.
Source: Lesotho Times
