Crazy Mines

The lion hunter's two mines were called Bimok and Tarasiko, which are words in the language of the local Zulu tribe. Bimok means land of hope and Tarasiko means lush hills.

Bimok was larger than Tarasiko, two hundred meters in diameter, and surrounded by a staircase that moved downwards. Two huge lifts were working to deliver the mined ore out to the surface.

The lion hunter handed out red construction helmets to Li Du and the others.

Inside the mine, each helmet color had its own meaning. Red was set aside for visitors, yellow was used for management personnel, white was for technical workers, and blue was for miners.

The people who came to visit the mine were mainly local government officials. They came either to show off or to ask for money. The workers despised them but gave them a grudging respect.

South Africa's political reforms have given officials more power, and people at the bottom were eager to be on good terms with them.