.jpg "Operation Vala Umgodi ridding the streets of prohibited firearms, ammunition, stolen vehicle recovered")
The Police in Mopani District, through multi-disciplinary joint operation, have recovered a stolen motor vehicle and a prohibited firearm with ammunition at Maake policing area on Friday 02 February 2024.
It is reported that members of Illegal Mining Task Team, during the execution of Operation Vala Umgodi on Friday 02 February 2024 at around 16:50, have spotted a white motor vehicle Mazda Rustler with GP registration numbers at a parking lot at Maake Plaza.
Upon searching the vehicle and the driver, the police discovered that the suspect, a 46-year-old male person, was in possession of a firearm loaded with eleven live rounds of ammunition. Preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle was reported stolen at Ekangala police station in Gauteng province in November 2023.
The Police have opened a case of possession of suspected stolen motor vehicle and unlawful possession of prohibited firearm with ammunition. The circumstances surrounding the origin of the firearm that were recovered are being investigated.
Meanwhile three male suspects aged 19 and 21 were nabbed in the process of illegal mining activities. The trio was caught in the act of digging precious metals underground at Molati illicit mining sites at the Letsitele policing precinct in Mopani District. The three male suspects are facing charges of illegal mining and contravention of the Immigration Act.
The Police managed to confiscate mining equipment at a scene of crime that included two spades, one shovel, one crow bar and a pick.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, hailed the collaborative approach by teams involved in dismantling the illicit mining in the province.
The suspects are expected to appear before Lenyenye Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 05 February 2024.
