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Articles on small scale mining

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Loss of formal employment in the mining industry and drought conditions in neighbouring countries are some of the factors that drive illegal mining. The Washington Post via Getty Images

Artisanal gold mining in South Africa is out of control. Mistakes that got it here

Artisanal gold mining is highly organised and rule-bound. Men, women and even children participate a hierarchy sustained by a web of buyers, sponsors and customers.
Bisimwa Hardy, 22, emerges from a shaft at Luhihi in South Kivu with a bag full of stones destined to the crusher to separate the stone from the gold. Photo by Guerchom Ndebo/AFP via Getty Images

Small-scale gold miners in DRC challenge the view that they can’t cut it

As a dynamic and mechanising form of production, artisanal mining is in more direct competition with large corporations than is commonly perceived.

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