ILLEGAL MINERS TERRORISE SOUTH AFRICAN RESIDENTS

Huge job losses in South Africa’s mining sector and widespread poverty have seen the illegal mining sector boom. And that’s also led to a boom in violent crime, as gangs vie for control of abandoned mines. Residents of a slum near Joburg are pleading with the authorities to do more, amid a surge in rapes and murders - blamed on illegal mining gangs. It’s led to a debate about what the root cause of this violence really is: is it pure criminality, or rooted in the lack of opportunity most face? Let us know your views on the issue in the comments.