Mapaballo Borotho
- Around 300 families, mainly women and children, were forced to flee their homes after death and kidnapping threats from illegal miners.
- Displaced residents are sheltering at an overcrowded community hall with limited privacy and health concerns.
- Long-standing housing failures persist, with some residents waiting over two decades for RDP houses, while local leadership shifts responsibility.
Residents of the Sporong informal settlement in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg, have been left without proper shelter and little hope after illegal miners in the area forced them to flee their homes.
The west of Johannesburg is considered one of the high-risk areas, known to have hundreds of illegal miners operating in the vicinity.
Approximately 300 families, mostly women and children, have abandoned their homes after Zama zamas allegedly threatened to kill them and kidnap their children.
One of the displaced residents told Kaya News they were forced to leave all their belongings behind in fear for their lives.
“We didn’t even have time to pack because it was no longer safe. The Zama zamas were really attacking us. We had no other choice but to leave everything behind. As a community, we are even scared to go back,” she explained.
Residents of Sporong in Randfontein, on the Westrand have told Kaya News, heavily armed illegal miners have forced them to flee their homes.
About 300 families, consisting mostly of women and children, have abandoned their homes after the so-called Zama zamas threatened to kill… pic.twitter.com/KxYhRhfqGx
— Kaya News (@KayaNews) January 20, 2026
The displaced families have since taken refuge at the Randgate Community Hall.
They say the hall is extremely overcrowded, offers limited privacy, and poses serious health risks.
Meanwhile, an elderly displaced woman told Kaya News that she has been waiting for more than 22 years for a government house.
Fifty-five-year-old Victoria Tsabone said it breaks her heart to know that she has been forgotten by the government.
Tsabone told Kaya News she has official documentation proving that she qualifies for an RDP house.
Rand West City Local Municipality Mayor William Matshekge declined to comment on the housing shortages and displacement, saying he is only responsible for providing temporary shelter.
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