Mandleni illegal mines trap migrant workers in forced labour

Migrant workers from Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe are being trapped in brutal forced labour and debt bondage at illegal gold mines in Mandleni, South Africa. Investigations reveal that recruiters lure victims with promises of legitimate employment, only to deliver them to informal settlements on the East Rand near Benoni.

Upon arrival, handlers reportedly confiscate passports and impose massive debts for transportation, clothing, accommodation, and equipment. This debt is structured to be impossible to repay, as workers are continuously charged for protection, fuel, and generator fees. Victims, often referred to as ‘zama zamas’, face dangerous working conditions underground, physical violence, and sexual assault while being forced to work long shifts to settle their manufactured debts.