Private Gold

Chapter 19

Five minutes to six, and Steyn’s tracking system, now back online, informed him that the truck was running twenty minutes late. Another truck had jackknifed in the storm, which in turn had caused heavy traffic delays north of Pretoria.

That meant his next job was a particularly ugly one, and something he had not been looking forward to, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, there was little skill involved in its execution; it was a task even a pig-ignorant muscle man could have done. And secondly, it involved going underground, which was not something Steyn would have willingly chosen.

However, he was a professional, and this was merely another chore to perform, part of an assignment for which he was receiving an extremely high payment.

He drove off the highway, along a tar road that turned to dirt a few kilometers later. At the end of the dirt road was a large “Road Closed” barrier, with faded yellow chevrons. However, somebody arriving at the barrier who took a closer look would see the signs of flattened grass where cars had driven around the sign, just as Steyn was doing now.

A little farther along the road, which was now little more than a bumpy track, was another weathered sign. “Egoli East Rand Gold Mine. Entrance Closed. Access Prohibited by Law.”

And, beyond that, Steyn noticed a third sign. This one was newer, but it had been pulled off its post and now lay, faceup, on the ground nearby.

“Premises Secured by Private Johannesburg.”

At that moment, Steyn’s phone beeped. He had an incoming message — information on the SUV’s license plate, which he had requested earlier.

He read the message.

Then he looked down again at the sign on the ground.

His thin lips hooked into another joyless smile. Coincidence sometimes worked in strange ways.

Steyn parked the BMW behind a row of bushes farther on, so it was not visible from the road.

He ducked under the chain-link fence outside the mine’s entrance, which displayed another “Closed — Warning — Danger” notice, rattling in the breeze.

Beyond that was the entrance, a square tunnel blasted in the rock. The solid wooden boards that had been nailed over the entrance to block access were now ripped away. Most of them had already been cut up and used for firewood. A few splintered pieces still lay nearby. Walking through the entrance, he breathed in the chilly, stale-smelling air and his skin prickled automatically into gooseflesh.

The tunnel sloped gradually down into darkness, and Steyn had to switch on his phone’s flashlight. At the end of the tunnel was a shaft, where a rickety ladder had been placed to allow access to the deep.

Steyn realized he was breathing much faster than he should have after the short walk. He was imagining the tons of rock pressing down on him. His flashlight beam bobbed over the heaps of crushed ore lining the passage. In some of them, he could see gold flecks gleaming.

From far below, he could hear the clanging of tools and the far-off sound of voices as the workers — a team of zama zamas — chipped away at the reef.

He lowered a thick plastic hose a few feet down the shaft. It was attached to a large machine. The zama zamas were used to the humming sound as the pump started up, removing the dusty air and replacing it with fresh air from the surface. Up until now, it had been used only for that purpose.

This time, Steyn attached the hose to a different side of the machine.

Now, when the pump started working, it would flood the chamber below with deadly carbon monoxide. In an hour, all fifty of the workers below would be dead.

The rattle of the pump muffled the sound of Steyn pulling up the ladder, so that they would have no way out.

After covering and locking the machine’s ignition switch, he loosened a rope that held a heavy steel grating against the wall. He moved the hose into a niche in the rock, because when this grating came down, it wasn’t going up again... it weighed close to half a ton.

He pulled on the rope, hearing the grinding as it loosened and began to topple forward.

He stepped back and squeezed his eyes shut as it crashed down, sending dust and rock fragments billowing into the air.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again, and blinked the residue of dust away.

The hose was undamaged, safe in its niche.

The grating was immovably in place.

He could hear a few concerned shouts coming from below. Well, there was nothing they could do now. The underground chamber, together with their fate, was sealed.

Steyn hurried up the passage as he heard the zama zamas’ screams begin. He had expected that he would be pleased and relieved that this part of the job was done, and he would never have to come back here again.

But somewhere deep inside, he was screaming, too.