In 2009, Aurora Empowerment Systems a black-owned, politically connected business, made a bid to rescue the liquidated Pamodzi Gold mines.
Khulubuse Zuma, Michael Hulley and Zondwa Mandela, were listed as directors of Aurora. The company looked too good to be true – promising to turn the mines into a new business. Soon after the acquisition, cracks appeared. Many workers and suppliers went unpaid and Aurora-managed mines were stripped of assets, as illicit payments were made.