Tommy Trenchard/Panos Pictures

Jefferson Ncube, an informal diamond miner from Zimbabwe, works on his latest tunnel at a disused De Beers mine near Kleinzee. The work is considered illegal by the government, and is completely unregulated. Accidents are common, with miners regularly losing their lives when tunnels collapse. But in region with few other economic opportunities, the mines are a major draw for unemploeyed people from all over southern Africa. Jefferson is a univeristy graduate, but has been unable to find employment.