“The war on illegal mining may have caught Chinette Gallichan, the Sibanye-Stillwater lawyer who was shot dead Monday morning, 23 March 2026, in the Joburg CBD, in its crosshairs.”

“Gallichan’s husband Keegan told Netwerk24 that he believed his wife’s murder may have been linked to illegal gold mining, and multiple sources have told Daily Maverick there are strong suspicions that this is the case.”

“Sibanye, like other South African gold producers, has long been struggling with the scourge of illegal mining, and the key front in this war is the collusion between employees and the criminal syndicates behind the zama zamas.”

“Measures that mining companies have taken to tackle this problem have included the prohibition of miners taking food with them underground – a move that aims to snuff out supplies to zamas who operate in both working and closed shafts.”

“Illegal mining syndicates operate in a landscape defined by fear, loathing and intimidation: compliance and collusion are extracted by threats directed at the kith and kin of employees, according to senior union leaders and other mining stakeholders this correspondent has spoken to in the past about the issue.”

“But the rewards for collusion can also be rich.”

“The source said that the cases that Gallichan worked on involved collusion and that the plausible motive for her murder pointed to a warning to mining companies: don’t mess with us.”

“The source added that this might not be the work of the syndicates, but that of miners facing dismissal over collusion because the lost revenue stream went far beyond their wages.”

“Sibanye spokesperson James Wellsted confirmed that among the cases Gallichan worked on were those involving illegal mining.”

“He also said that incidents of collusion between employees at Sibanye’s gold operations and criminal syndicates had been on the rise.”

“This illegal mining link remains speculation and the police have been tight-lipped. SAPS did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.”

“But it makes more sense than a run-of-the-mill labour dispute over a dismissal where the murder of the company lawyer involved would hardly advance the grievances raised at the offices of the CCMA, which is close to where Gallichan was slain.”

“Gallichan’s brazen murder has sent shockwaves across the legal community and is a grim reminder of the scale of ruthlessness and lawlessness that go hand in hand in the gangster’s paradise that is SA.”

“This incident reflects a broader and deeply concerning pattern of intimidation and violence against legal professionals in organized crime environments.”