ON WEDNESDAY, 9 November, the Stilfontein District Court heard the continuation of a bail application against an illegal mining suspect who was arrested at his home.
He was the 21st suspect to be arrested. The other 20 were arrested at a mine on 10 October.
The accused was under cross-examination by the state.
The state told the court that the accused’s vehicle, which was earlier recovered by the police during the arrest, was seen on a number of stated dates, once loading a body, and also seen loaded with food parcels, and illegal products, at the abandoned Scott mine shaft.
The accused told the court that he can’t remember dates mentioned as he’s not good with remembering dates and besides that, he used to lend many people his vehicle.
When the state asked the accused about the movements of his vehicle to the mine shaft, he denied that it was him. The accused then told the state that the vehicle was supposed to have been stopped and so the suspect could be arrested.
The bail application was postponed.
Only six of the suspects were confirmed to be South African citizens, while the others are verified to be in the country illegally from Lesotho and Eswatini.
Their court appearance emanates from an operation on 10 October by 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, when they embarked on an early morning raid at a mine shaft in Stilfontein.
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According to the Hawks, the operation follows weeks of surveillance into the alleged illegal mining activities of the suspects resulting in the arrest of the 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.
All the suspects will remain in police custody until the next court appearance on 21 November.
