At least 20 people arrested following operation by SAPS in Kagiso

Chaos was the order of the day in the West Rand after hundreds of infuriated community members took to the streets to ‘deal’ with illegal miners who are allegedly committing numerous crimes in the area that police are not acting on.

In a sting operation which took place on Thursday morning, police officers, community members and leaders went to the “zama zamas” hideout spot in nearby mountains where they were beaten, stripped and later taken into police custody.

One person died during the shutdown and at least 20 people have been arrested following the operation, according to several media reports.

In an interview on Thursday, Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela told Newzroom Afrika that many illegal miners were most likely still hiding in the area.

“You know after I came to that gathering, we met with leaders of the community and they agreed to accompany us, show us some of the areas where these people are operating or some of them are hiding themselves. So we came here with the leaders of this communities and my operators – as you can see them here (sic),” he said.

Earlier, police had to disperse community members who blocked roads. The protest stems from the arrest of more than 100 alleged illegal miners following the gang rapes in Krugersdorp last week.