Two suspects aged 28 and 45 are expected to appear in the Orkney Magistrate’s Court on Monday 21 December 2020, in connection with illegal mining activities after they were arrested at their respective dwellings in Kanana, North West on Friday.
The Klerksdorp Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team led a disruptive operation with the assistance of the District Illicit mining task team in the early hours of Friday morning in Kanana.
At the first address, a search uncovered seven pieces of “amalgam” weighing 40 gram with an estimated value of R20 000-00, about R79 130-00 in cash was also recovered.
The team proceeded to the second scene wherein the search uncovered one piece of “amalgam” weighing 35 grams valued at approximately R 17 500-00, R43 000-00 in cash and .38 rounds of ammunition were seized.
The two arrests may seem like a drop in the ocean considering the magnitude of this unfortunate phenomenon. However the operations aimed at rooting out established illegal mining syndicates will be intensified on a continuous basis. It is an open secret that illegal mining is the nexus of other serious crimes like human trafficking of illegal immigrants who are promised employment and end up being exploited by their recruiters who happen to be masterminds, either locals or foreigners.
Investigations are continuing to identify those high up in the value chain in order to put a stop to illegal mining plundering activities.
These undoubtedly have a negative impact on the South African economy with billions worth of mineral resources leaving our shores undetected.
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