On March 2, 13 men were arrested for their alleged involvement in illegal mining during an operation held by the EMPD Equestrian Unit and Tracing Unit members.
The suspects’ mining equipment was confiscated.
According to EMPD spokesperson Kobeli Mokheseng, it was at around 10am when the EMPD was flagged by security personnel to report the illegal activity along Commissioner Street in Reiger Park.
“Officers responded and found the men mining illegally in an open veld. They were all apprehended.
“Twenty-seven spades, pickaxes, a hammer, a hacksaw, 10 wheelbarrows, nine generator-powered water pumps and one gwala (digging bar) were impounded,” said Mokheseng.
The arrested men are facing charges of illegal mining and some, who were undocumented, were booked under the Migrations Act at the Reiger Park Police Station. They are all expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court soon.
Also Read: Zama zamas nabbed in ‘major’ operation targeting illegal mining
