EVANDER– The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thulani Ntobela has expressed concern about the shooting incidents that continue to occur in the old mines at Evander near Secunda as a result of illegal mining.
According to the police,last week a shooting that claimed a life of a Lesotho national’s 18 year old Sanele Mokane where five others were wounded and hospitalised was reported at Winkelhaak Mine.
As a result of this incident, the police conducted an intelligent driven sting operation on July 15, wherein 104 illegal miners believed to be from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique aged between 18 and 45 were arrested.
The suspects have appeared before the Evander Magistrate’s Court last week. All the suspects were remanded in custody.
On Sunday, the police attended to another complaint of shooting at the same mine, where they a body of a man who has not been identified yet, lying in a pool of blood. He was certified dead by paramedics at the scene.
On Saturday during the early hours of the morning, police received information that six people were wounded and hospitalised.
Three of them are said to be critical but stable and the other three were treated and discharged the same day.
In both incidents, it is alleged that the victims were shot by a rival group after a squabble broke while they were involved in illegal mining.
