Johannesburg - Eighty seven illegal miners who were arrested during a multi-disciplinary operation at Shaft 2 in Orkney on October 20, 2021, were sentenced to a combined 696 years of imprisonment.
The illegal miners were arrested during an intelligence-driven operation led by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, assisted by the Special Task Force and the District Illicit Mining Task Team.
“The operation was the culmination of months of surveillance after the illegal miners took control of a dormant shaft. During the operation, a shoot-out ensued between the police and the illegal miners, resulting in six illegal miners being fatally wounded and eight others being injured.
“Illegal mining paraphernalia, gold-bearing material, two mini buses, 11 firearms (three shotguns, four pistols, three rifles and one revolver), about 4000 cartridges of ammunition and bags of food were seized,” said NPA regional spokesperson for the North West Henry Mamothame.
Mamothame said all the accused had been in custody since their arrest, pleaded guilty to charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances on March 28 and were each sentenced to eight years direct imprisonment.
“The provincial head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major-General Patrick Mbotho, and the director for Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo, lauded the exceptional work by the multi-disciplinary team that worked tirelessly on this case.
“They further lauded advocate Chris Kok from the National Prosecuting Authority for the excellent work and dedication,” said Mamothame.
The Star