South Africa: Zama Zama - Graham Coetzer Digs Into the Illicit Mining Underworld

Through exclusive interviews with zama zamas, syndicate insiders, intelligence operatives, and law enforcement officials, Zama Zama sheds light on the hidden mechanics of this shadow economy.

Graham Coetzer's latest book, Zama Zama: Inside the Illicit Mining Underworld, reveals how illicit gold is smuggled and laundered through a labyrinth of private refineries and fraudulent mining permits, leveraging loopholes in South Africa's regulatory framework to facilitate an intricate VAT scam that reintroduces "dirty gold" into the legitimate global market. Here is an excerpt.

I've told you I can't explain humanity's obsession with gold. But I can tell you that I've seen gold fever. That's what those in the know call the corruptive seductive power the metal exerts over the people who spend their lives chasing it. And, I'll admit, I've felt its irresistible pull.

Going after gold is like gambling: you pick your horse or place your chips and pray the odds fall your way. Those odds are always going to be stacked against you. But, just like when you back the underdog in a horse race, there is a certain undeniable magic that courses through your veins when you get the win. For very little input, after all, you could be walking away with a major score. It's that feeling - that surge of adrenaline and excitement - that people get addicted to.

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