Gauteng is staring down a wave of violent turf wars that fuse two shadow economies: illegal mining and informal recycling. Armed zama zamas are battling over derelict mine shafts and scrap-value corridors, while waste recyclers fight to hold ground near landfill sites and busy arterial roads. Communities pay the price. In the south of Johannesburg, Riverlea and Naturena have already endured running gun battles that turned neighbourhoods into war zones. Now the fault line has shifted east: Brakpan\u2019s Plastic City has erupted as illegal miners and recyclers clash over land, access, and revenue. The result: explosions, shootings, arson, at least two deaths, and an exodus of families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ALSO READ: Illeg<\/a>al Mining in Brakpan: Miners Digging Beneath Snake Road Poses Safety Threat<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For over a decade, abandoned shafts across the province have drawn organised, well-armed syndicates. Zama zamas descend into disused tunnels and fight rival factions above and below ground to control entry points, ore routes, and smelter connections. Residents in hot spots describe nights punctuated by automatic gunfire, days disrupted by road closures and sinkholes, and weeks of fear while police chase moving targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, Gauteng\u2019s informal recycling economy has expanded around landfill perimeters and transport spines. Low-income residents and cross-border migrants survive by sorting, storing and selling waste. Competition over the best collection zones\u2014often near municipal dumps\u2014frequently collides with zama zama routes, especially in historic mining belts where dumps and old shafts sit side by side. Plastic City, wedged between Main Reef Road and the Weltevreden landfill, sits squarely in that collision zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGauteng\u2019s Illegal Mining Flashpoints Keep Multiplying<\/h2>\n\n\n\n