Zama Zamas Tunnel Beneath Brakpan’s Snake Road, Raising Safety Alarms and Infrastructure Concerns
What may look like an innocent pothole on the side of Snake Road in Brakpan is anything but. Beneath the tar lies a dangerous and expanding world of illegal mining that has taken root quite literally under the feet of unsuspecting motorists.
Snake Road, located on Gauteng’s East Rand, is now home to a clandestine network of tunnels and shafts operated by illegal miners — more commonly known as zama zamas. A recent investigation exposed a shocking truth: the very surface of this public road is being undermined by unauthorised, unsafe, and potentially explosive mining activity.
A Pothole or a Portal?
The entrance to the illegal shaft is cleverly disguised, tucked just off the road’s edge, easily mistaken for a typical road defect. But descend through the opening, and you’ll enter a web of tunnels where illegal miners risk their lives and the safety of others for scraps of gold.
Private security specialist Marius van der Merwe, who monitors the area, guided reporters to one such shaft. His suspicions? These miners are not wandering blindly. “They must have detailed maps,” he suggests, referring to the precise location of these old and forgotten gold veins that once powered the Witwatersrand gold rush.
Underground Blasts Shake the Surface
What’s more alarming is that blasting is being conducted dangerously close to the surface. These activities aren’t only illegal — they’re destabilising the very structure of public infrastructure. Snake Road, a major East Rand artery, is now at risk of collapse in certain areas due to weakened sublayers.
The reverberations from underground detonations have already been felt in nearby communities such as Slovo Park in Springs, where a suspected zama zama explosion caused panic and property damage. The implications are terrifying: What happens when the next blast caves in a section of Snake Road with vehicles above?
READ: Illegal Connections Exposed: City Power’s Action in Crown Informal Settlements
The Zama Zama Crisis in the Witwatersrand
Illegal mining in the Witwatersrand is nothing new, but this case has sparked renewed urgency. These miners, often working in teams with lookouts and equipment runners, are leveraging ageing, unmapped tunnels from South Africa’s gold mining heyday. They’re resourceful — even carrying out mining under urban infrastructure without detection until it’s too late.
Authorities and private security companies are working together, but resources are stretched thin. The depth of the tunnels, the armed nature of the miners, and the sheer scale of the network make enforcement incredibly dangerous.
Action Needed
Residents and road users are calling for urgent intervention. The safety implications are mounting — this isn’t just about theft of minerals anymore; it’s about preventing tragedy. Whether it’s a motorist disappearing into a collapsing shaft or another explosion in a suburban neighbourhood, the stakes are high.
The Brakpan community is pleading: “We need help.” Until then, Snake Road remains more than just a road — it’s a ticking time bomb.
Also read: Government’s Plan to Address ARV-Contaminated Water in South Africa
