Zama Zama: Inside the Illicit Mining Underworld, the new book by Graham Coetzer, bestselling author of Hunting with the Hawks, is out now from Tafelberg!
Zama Zama: Inside the Illicit Mining Underworld
Graham Coetzer
Tafelberg, 2026
About the book
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. The book delves into the violent and treacherous underworld where gang wars, brutal enforcement tactics, and corruption are rampant. It 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.
Beyond the borders of South Africa, the book explores how the illicit gold trade fuels international money laundering operations, linking underground mining to organized crime syndicates, terrorism financing, and global corruption networks.
