Thirteen people who are believed to have entered South Africa illegally are scheduled to go to court on Monday (today). They were arrested at an old mine in Klerksdorp. The operation to arrest them involved various law enforcement units, including the Hawks’ serious organised crime unit, SA National Defence Force (SANDF), Klerksdorp illicit mining task team, national intervention unit, North West explosives unit, K9 and motorcycle units.
The individuals, who range in age from 15 to 46, are suspected of not having the necessary documents to be in the country legally, The Sowetan reported. According to Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Tinyiko Mathebula, the arrest occurred after authorities received information about illegal gold mining in the area. Mathebula said:
The suspects were arrested after information was received about the illegal mining of gold in the area. Information was operationalised and the team pounced on the illegal miners who then fled the scene, abandoning their equipment.
Thirteen suspects who were found on the periphery of the mining site were apprehended and charged with contravention of section 49 of the Immigration Act. Preliminary investigation could not link the suspects to illegal mining. They will appear in the Klerksdorp magistrate’s court on Monday.
During the operation, law enforcement officers also seized various items used in the mining process, such as pendukas, generators, a water tank, and pipes. Additionally, they found gold-bearing material worth around R200,000 and destroyed four informal gold processing plants.
On Friday, more than 100 suspected illegal miners were arrested in the Ekurhuleni area during a joint operation by the police and the SA Defence Force. The operation took place in response to concerns about illegal mining and shootings in the Marathon informal settlement in Primrose. Law enforcement agencies raided and destroyed structures used for illegal mining and confiscated tools such as gas cylinders, pendukas, explosives, and generators.