TRACING ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITIES – GIJC MALAYSIA 2025

BY LINDA MUJURU

Groundwork and Community Networks

•  Enter Through the Community, Not the Mine

“To understand illegal mining, you must first understand the community that lives with it.” �

• In all my investigations, the starting point wasn’t the mine it was the people living around it. I began with villagers, artisanal miners, women affected by pollution, and local leaders.
• Before recording or taking photos, I spent time without a notebook or camera, simply listening. That patience often determined whether people opened up or shut down.
• I was introduced by trusted figures NGOs, councillors, or women’s group leaders, which helped me gain access to miners who usually avoid journalists.
• One example: in my story on the use of mercury despite a government ban, I visited the area several times. Through these repeat visits, people who had been directly affected by mercury poisoning began to trust me enough to speak on record.
• Begin with communities, not conflict. Locals know who’s moving ore at night, where chemicals are dumped, and how deals are made. They are your best investigators.

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• “Illegal mining is not chaos, it’s an informal system with its own organised power lines.” �
• Repeated visits allowed me to see beyond the surface discovering that local power structures (politicians, traditional leaders, and sometimes police) were often linked to illegal mining networks.
• The breakthrough came when I stopped chasing just the story of gold or pollution and started tracing relationships.
• I learned that every mining area has a hierarchy: who controls the land, who collects “fees,” and who protects operations. This isn’t written in any document, but it determines everything.
• For journalists, map the human network before you map the mine. Relationships will reveal more than permits or official data ever could.

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• Cultivating Local Information Networks

“Trust is not built once. It’s negotiated daily.” �

• In volatile mining zones, safety often depends on your relationships. I kept an informal “community network” miners, traders, local health workers, and youth leaders, who would alert me to tensions or raids before I entered a site.
• Maintaining communication through WhatsApp groups and regular check-ins helped me stay informed even when I wasn’t in the field.
• These networks became my early warning system and helped verify claims I later cross-checked with official data from the Ministry of Mines and the Environmental Management Agency.
• Its important to Cultivate “professional friendships.” They not only unlock information but also keep you safe.

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Linda Mujuru

Linda Mujuru

• Breakthrough Moment:
• Realising that the informal power structures local political actors, traditional leaders, and sometimes police were directly connected to illegal mining operations. This insight only emerged after repeated visits and off-record conversations.

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• Map out the human network before mapping the mining sites. Relationships will reveal more than official data. Always prioritize consent and protect community members who share sensitive information.

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Gathering and Verifying Evidence

• Technology gives us clues, but the truth is confirmed on the ground.”
• Start with What’s Public, Then Verify What’s Hidden
• My investigations into illegal mining often begin online, with government mining permits, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) reports, and company registries.
• These documents helped establish what’s supposed to be happening, who has a licence, where, and for what.
• I cross-check these permits with satellite images from Google Earth to spot activity outside authorised boundaries for instance, mining pits expanding into protected wetlands or near rivers.

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• Digging Deeper with Data Partnerships
• To verify mineral movement and expose discrepancies, I analysed trucking manifests, weighbridge receipts, and export permits.
• Some of this data came through collaborations with watchdog organisations like The Sentry, which had access to export databases.
• Cross-referencing those with my own on-the-ground observations revealed inconsistencies, declared exports didn’t match the volume of ore actually being moved.
• I also reviewed land lease agreements and environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to determine if companies were in violation of their licence terms.
• For ownership trails, company registries and beneficial ownership databases helped expose shell firms linked to political elites or foreign investors operating through local fronts.

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• Situating the Story Within Policy Context
• Each finding was framed within Zimbabwe’s mining laws and export policies, such as the ban on raw lithium exports.
• By situating illegal activities within this policy context, I could show whether an operation amounted to smuggling, regulatory evasion, or oversight failure.
• This step turned what could have been a “local story” into one that questioned governance and accountability at a national level.
• Breakthrough Moment
• The most striking breakthrough came when I found inconsistencies between official permits and on-the-ground operations.
• In several cases, miners with expired or suspended licences continued to extract minerals in restricted areas and local authorities were fully aware.
• Satellite imagery helped document the expansion of pits over time, offering undeniable visual proof of ongoing illegal operations.

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• Challenges and How I Managed Them
• Accessing data from ministries and agencies was difficult officials were often uncooperative. Persistence, professionalism, and invoking the public’s right to information made a difference.
• Field verification was risky. Some miners were hostile or suspicious of journalists. I travelled with trusted local guides and kept a low profile, often blending in without visible recording equipment.
• Strengthening Evidence Through Science
• Where the story involved environmental damage, I partnered with ZimLabs to conduct independent testing of water and soil samples.
• In one investigation, mercury contamination from gold panning was confirmed scientifically.
• In another, we found excessive phosphate levels in water sources near clay mining sites used for tile production.
• Collaborations like these not only added credibility but made the story more actionable for regulators and advocacy groups.

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Linda Mujuru

Trucks carrying granite stone leaving Zimbabwe via Nyamapanda Border post.

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Photo by: Linda Mujuru

Trucks carrying lithium leaving Goromonzi, Zimbabwe.

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Photo by: Linda Mujuru

Investigating Safely and Strategically

• How to plan, protect, and assess risks before entering mining zones
• Working Environment:
• I often worked alone but coordinated with editors and security contacts before going into volatile mining zones. I shared my location via secure apps and checked in at scheduled times.
• Security Measures:
• Avoid traveling with visible recording equipment. Dress simply and don’t identify as a journalist until trust is established. Use encrypted communication for sensitive interviews.

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Safety Protocols

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• Map the risks: Identify potential threats, such as hostile miners, corrupt local officials, or unsafe mine shafts.
• Know the area: Gather intelligence about the community, terrain, and power dynamics before traveling.
• Have local contacts: Establish communication with trusted local journalists, fixers, or community leaders.
• Share your movement plan (who, where, when, and why) with a trusted colleague or editor.
• Prepare a check-in system (e.g., text or call every 2–3 hours).
• Identify the nearest hospital, police post, and safe exit routes.

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Conduct a risk assessment before every trip. Know your exit routes, nearest safe houses, and local contacts. Never compromise safety for access. Build alliances with local reporters, health officers, or NGOs who already have community trust.

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• When reporting illegal mining, I don’t just chase the gold or lithium, I trace the people, the trucks, the paperwork, and sometimes, the silence.
• The community shows you where to start, the supply chain shows you where it [the mineral] goes, and the money trail tells you who is involves, who is untouchable. But always, always, weigh the story against your safety.