Five arrested outside Barberton on illegal mining charges
The police also seized all the material, equipment and the two vehicles that were used during the operation.
BARBERTON – The police have arrested five men between the ages of 34 and 50 on a farm outside Barberton yesterday. The men face charges of being in possession of gold-bearing material and defeating the ends of justice, and are due to appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court today.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brig Leonard Hlathi, the police had received information that the suspects were engaged in illegal mining activities on the farm.
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Based on the information, members of the Crime Intelligence unit set in a motion a sting to arrest the suspects.
“The formations later spotted three men apparently grinding gold dust out of gold-bearing material on the farm on what looked like a makeshift plant,” Hlathi said.
He said the police approached the men and asked whether they had a permit to conduct these activities.
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“The police approached the men and inquired about a mining license, that allowed them to carry out mining activities, but they failed to produce one.
“They further could not give a sensible explanation or the name of a mining company they had been working
for and were placed under arrested.”
Hlathi added that initial investigations revealed that the farm is state-owned, and that the men leasing it were allegedly aware of the illegal mining activities, but chose not to report it.
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Two vehicles, material and equipment were seized by the police during the sting. Lt Gen Mondli Zuma, the provincial commissioner of the SAPS, lauded the police for their speedy response and thanked the community for the information that led to the arrest of the five suspects.
