The 24-year-old illegal miner arrested for the murder of his fellow illegal miner, remains in custody.
According to the spokesperson for the Bedfordview SAPS, Captain André de Jager, the man is a flight risk.
“He is a Zimbabwean national with no relevant documents permitting him to be in South Africa. He is in the country illegally and therefore, does not qualify to apply for bail,” said Capt De Jager.
The man was arrested by the Primrose SAPS while on the run after stabbing his fellow illegal miner in Tunney last month.
The incident took place on January 25 at the open land known for illegal mining activities.
Capt De Jager said the victim was also a Zimbawean national and he too, was in the country illegally.
In 2015, 30 illegal miners were arrested and charged with illegal mining after police officers raided the area with private security companies.
In their attempts to halt the illegal mining operations, land owners iProp Limited, moved in to start developing the piece of land in October that year.
Capt De Jager said the suspect will await trial at the Boksburg prison.
He said the victim, who was declared dead on the scene, was stabbed in the neck.
Capt De Jager said there are plans in place to stage an operation to rid the area of illegal miners.
“Their operations are not only illegal, but also dangerous to themselves. It gets worse when there are territorial fights, which happen quite often. We also need to make sure people commuting between work and home are safe,” said Capt De Jager.
