South Africa Estimates 35.6 Tonnes of Gold to Have Been Illegally Mined and Smuggled Out of the Country in 2002

South Africa Estimates 35.6 Tonnes Of Gold To Have Been Illegally Mined And Smuggled Out Of The Country In 2002. The Quantity Accounts For Roughly 10% Of The Country’s Total Production. No Newer Data Are Available, But Local Miners Doubt The Amount Has Dropped. Under The Current Prices, South Africa’s Losses From Illegal Gold Mining And Smuggling Come To Approximately USD 500 Mil/y.

Zimbabwe Is Another Country Were Gold Is Illegally Mined In And Smuggled Abroad. According To An Unnamed Mine Owner, Up To 80% Of Gold Explored In Zimbabwe Is Smuggled Out Of The Country. The Country’s Official Gold Mining Dropped From Approximately 30 Tonnes In 1999 To Not Quite 13 Tonnes In 2004. Also, Gold Is Not The Only Commodity To Be Illegally Sold Across The Border. There Is Demand For Nearly All Minerals From Precious Metals To Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Rare Wood To Coffee And Cocoa.