Public radio’s longest-running daily global news program.
©2025 The World from PRX
PRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402.
Illegal mining is widespread in South Africa. Miners break into derelict mineshafts, oftentimes searching for leftover gold. Organized crime exploits and controls their behavior. Now, above one enormous decommissioned mine, police have cut off food and other supplies that are sent down into the mines. The operation is called “Close the Hole”. Host Marco Werman discusses the situation with Kimon de Greef, a freelance reporter who’s gone inside the world of illegal gold mining.