Pretoria – Police Minister Bheki Cele will this morning lead a law enforcement team to the crime scene where 24 firearms were seized and 20 suspects arrested following a take-down operation at a mining shaft in Stilfontein.
Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said Cele will lead management teams from the SAPS and the elite Hawks teams.
“The national commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola and the national head of the (Hawks), Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya and the provincial commissioner of the North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena will form part of the delegation,” she said.
Twenty suspected illegal miners were arrested and 15 high calibre guns were seized in Stilfontein, North West, on Monday.
The arrest followed a morning raid led by the Hawks at a mine shaft after a week of observations.
“The operation follows weeks of surveillance into the alleged illegal mining activities of the suspects resulting in the arrest of 20 suspects and the seizure of 15 AK47s, six hunting rifles, two shotguns and one R5, boxes full of ammunition, explosives and an undisclosed amount of money,” said Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale.
She said the operation was ongoing and could not rule out the possibility of more arrests and more seizures.
They were expected to make their first appearance in the Stilfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where they will be facing preliminary charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of prohibited firearms, possession of ammunition and contravention of the Immigration Act.
In Limpopo, the Hawks said a stockpile of chrome valued at R600 000 was seized on October 6 in Tjibeng.
It was suspected that the stockpiles were built up by illegal miners in the area with the aim of transporting them at a later stage for business purposes.
No arrest was made in connection with the stockpiles.
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