Gang Warfare At Illegal Mines In South Africa

Workers also risk getting trapped in the illegal mines AFP

South African police say they are investigating the murder of 15 suspected illegal miners, known as "zama-zamas", who were shot dead this week at the Grootvlei mine outside Johannesburg.

BBC reports the battle for gold dust in abandoned mines between rival illegal mining gangs is becoming increasingly violent, and police have said they expect the body count to keep rising as the violence intensifies.

Illegal miners live underground for months looking for their piece of gold - and that means abandoned shafts become war zones when rival gangs clash.

They sometimes throw improvised bombs at one another and open fire with machine guns. Several police units have been deployed in various areas to deal with the situation.

But it appears that the potential rewards are more powerful than the deterrent of arrest and even death.