Malalane - When Sizwe Silinda's mother died in 2003, the then 16-year-old had to quit school to take care of his unemployed sisters and their children because he was now the "man in the house."
It changed the life trajectory of this promising young rugby player, who had been offered a scholarship by a former model C school in White River because of his prowess on the field.
After fruitlessly searching for work, Silinda, who is now 23 and lives in Schoemansdal near Malalane, joined a group of illegal miners in 2007.
"I saw them living a nice life, eating every day and driving nice cars. That persuaded me to join my first crew in Barberton's Sheba gold mine," says Silinda.
He was hooked immediately. He managed to take home more than R20 000 after just two weeks underground.
"It's mostly guys from Zimbabwe who buy the gold. You have their contacts and, after coming out of the mine, you call one of them and they will buy the gold on the spot. Although they're eager buyers, they give you only a quarter of the gold's actual price because they are the only buyers," says Silinda.
The conditions in the mines were extremely dangerous. "I thought of quitting while I was on my first trip, but then I thought about my family. I decided to die for them if that's what it would take," he says.
Silinda subsequently made several trips to mines throughout the province, working in their deepest sections with his friends and often spending more than a month underground when they wanted to make "lots of money".
"It would take a day travelling down to the deepest part of the mine, beyond where even the security guards go. At some point you have to crawl on your stomach using your elbows, and you carry everything you need on your back. Down there you are totally surrounded by rocks," he explains.
The water seeping from these rocks tastes better than anything above ground, says Silinda, and would be used for drinking and washing.
He also fondly remembers coming home with more than R100 000 once. "I built my own home with that money and it's beautiful," he says. But the high life came to an end with his arrest in early 2008.
"I cannot forget the day I was arrested - it was the first time in my whole life. If not for that, I would have been rich by now. I had one piece of gold that was as big as a brick that day, which I thought would get me R2 million."
Instead, Silinda spent 14 months in the Barberton Maximum Correctional Centre.
"All my happiness after getting that gold faded when I got arrested, and that was the turning point of my life. I now hate illegal mining," he says.
Illegal mining is a huge, multi-billion rand industry featuring national and international syndicates and valued at some R5.6 billion, according to Mineral Resources Minister, Susan Shabangu.
To his younger sister, 18-year-old Nonduduzo, Silinda is still the hero. "He risked his life for us. He left school, and every good thing he might have become, to make sure we had something to eat."
He might have become a draughtsman, Silinda says, as he is good at drawing.
"I also miss the rugby. I was a tight forward and I know that by now I could have been playing for professional teams."
Silinda, who does odd jobs these days to support his extended family, including his one-year-old son, advises young people to stay in school and get an education.
"I know we as the youth like pretty things and like to bypass proper ways of earning a living by doing crime, but that limits your life. Now I've got a criminal record and I don't have a bright future without education. I finally understand that crime does not pay."
