Gauteng cops cracked down on illicit mining activities and arrested 97 illegal miners and a 62-year-old farm owner in Heidelberg.
Following an intelligence-driven operation, cops swooped in on a farm where the zama zamas had been operating from.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Athlenda Mathe said upon further interrogation and inspection, the team seized mining equipment and gear and also discovered that all the suspects, aged between 18 and 35, are Lesotho nationals and the majority were in the country illegally.
“Three unlicensed firearms and 570 rounds of ammunition were also seized. The firearms have been taken in for ballistic testing to determine if they were used in any other crimes.
“The farm owner has also been arrested after he was found with illegal ammunition and gold bearing equipment,” said Mathe.
All the suspects will appear in the Heidelberg Magistrates Court on charges of illegal mining,
being in the country illegally, human trafficking, possession of explosives, and illegal possession
of firearms and ammunition.
In other news – Lerato Kganyago does not own the Hotel she revealed on Valentine’s day – Close sources spill the beans
South African media personality and Metro FM presenter Lerato Kganyago has allegedly been caught in a lie after sources told the publication that she was not the real owner of the luxury boutique hotel she had unveiled on Valentine’s Day.
The hotel, called 12 on Hillel Villa and Spa in Northcliff, Johannesburg, is allegedly owned by Kganyago’s husband, Thami Ndlala, and two other business people who are said to be silent partners. Learn More