The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has commended and appreciated the efforts of the SAPS members and the security agencies in the fight against illegal mining in the province.
This emanates from an intelligence driven operation which consisted of Visible Policing, POPS, Detective Service, Crime Intelligence, DMRE and the Security from Anglo American.
The team conducted an operation at Schoogezight coal dump on 18 January 2022, in which 17 suspects were taken for questioning and 3 were released.
The remaining 14 suspects, aged 19 to 58 were arrested and are expected to appear before Emalahleni Magistrate’s Court on the charges of illegal mining and fraud, after they produced fraudulent certificate for mining.
The police confiscated various items:
2 Tlbs,
3 Front end loaders,
1 Dozer,
2 Coal Screeners,
1 generator,
2 Diesel bowsers,
1 Roller,
1 Trailer,
1 water tanker,
1 Hyundai truck,
1 Toyota Hilux,
1 Vw Polo Classic,
1 Nissan NP200,
1 Opel Astra, and
1 BMW
The Provincial Commissioner has also warned the community not to be involved in any illegal mining as this affects the economy of the country.
