Ongoing operations to apprehend illegal mining suspects

STILFONTEIN – In a continuous fight against illegal mining, the North West Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation assisted by members of the Hawks’ Tactical Management Section, Special Task Force, National Intervention Unit, District Illegal Mining Task Team, Tactical Response Team, Bidvest Protea Coin, and Harmony Gold mine embarmarked on an early morning raid at a mine shaft in Stilfontein on 10 October 2022.

The operation follows weeks of surveillance into the alleged illegal mining activities of the suspects resulting in the arrest of twenty (20) suspects and the seizure of fifteen (15) AK47s, six (6) hunting rifles, two (2) shotguns and one (1) R5, boxes full of ammunition, explosives and an undisclosed amount of money. The operation is ongoing and we cannot rule out the possibility of more arrests and more seizures.