About 600 families of Sporong claim that heavily armed illegal miners (zama zamas) forced them to flee their homes. The South African Police Service (Saps) says officers will be deployed on a permanent basis in Sporong, after illegal mining violence forced hundreds of families to flee their homes at the informal settlement. About 600 families of Sporong claim that heavily armed illegal miners (zama zamas) forced them to flee their homes after they threatened to kill residents of the informal settlement and kidnap their children. ‘Organised violence’Earlier this month, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) condemned what it called the “wanton and organised violence” in Sporong. ALSO READ: Police close in on illegal miners in North West