Labour trafficking in South Africa is entirely unexplored. Among an estimated four hundred books, articles, and monograph on trafficking in South Africa, only a dozen are specific to labour exploitation as opposed to sex, child, and organ trafficking. Having said this, every sector of the South African economy involves labour trafficking of some sort, largely but not entirely because of the massive influx of vulnerable undocumented migrants into the Republic since the end of apartheid. Since gold (and other precious minerals) are associated with wealth and upward mobility, a still-undetermined number of this population is attracted to both surface and underground mining which remains one of the strategic drivers of the economy. This research project is qualitative in character and involved a review of the small literature on illegal mining and TIP. The aim is to bring together elements in these two silos. Approximately 50 interviews were conducted in early 2025 with artisanal mining organizations (4), big mining companies (6), the South African Police and other elements in law enforcement (6), representatives of security companies enlisted to assist law enforcement (7), community members at near-mine sites for illegal activity (8), members of the media (2) and zama zamas at various mining operations throughout the country (15). Based on the research findings, this presentation will suggest policy pathways to mitigating the problem of illegal mining existing anti-trafficking laws as well as through structural alterations designed to bring artisanal mining into the mainstream of the mining sector.
Dr. Philip Frankel obtained his Masters of Arts in Political Science Cum Laude at the University of the Witwatersrand and his PhD in Political Studies at Princeton. He has worked with the U.S. Department of State and the National Freedom Network, and is the author of fourteen books on human trafficking.