The Star reports that the family of a murdered illegal miner ambushed in the escalating zama zama turf war have been moved to a place of safety as fears of revenge attacks between rival mining groups grip the community of the N12 informal settlement in Cloverdene, Benoni.  

At least four women were killed execution-style in a shack by two unknown gunmen early on Thursday evening.  Another woman with a bullet lodged in her head is fighting for her life in hospital.  The victims are all from Lesotho.  The family was attacked two days before members were due to bury their relative, who was an illegal miner believed to be one of the executed seven zama zamas found dumped in a field two weeks ago.  The murders of the women brought to 11 the number of known deaths, inclusive of the decomposing bodies found near a mine dump in Benoni last week.  Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina said the family were moved to a municipal property on Saturday where they would stay while the situation was being assessed.  He went on to state:  “All these killings can be directly linked to the issue of illegal mining and I will be raising this with the minister of police to see how best we can root out this practice, which continues to claim lives.”  A provincial police spokesperson said no arrests had yet been made.

• Read this report by Sibongile Mashaba in full at The Star
• See too, Masina: Local communities complicit in illegal mining, at EWN

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page