Operation Shanela remains intentional in rooting out illicit mining and stabilizing crime in the Northern Cape. This was evident in the operational successes achieved during intensified disruptive police actions across the province for the period Thursday, 28 September 2023 until Sunday, 01 October 2023 with a sharp focus on the reduction of contact and violent crimes in hotspots which netted a multitude of successes.
The police in their quest to end illicit mining in the Kleinzee area in the Namakwa district, following the recent arrest of illegal miners, deployed a detached normalization task team to prevent the re-occurrence of criminal activities in that area.
After the clean-up operations, police were successful in arresting 92 illegal miners for trespassing, undocumented/illegal immigrants, illegal mining, damage to essential infrastructure and dealing in and possession of drugs.
Numerous mining implements and equipment ranging from generators, sieves, jack hammers, iron…
