Eleven suspects, including ten foreign nationals suspected of illegal mining activities, are scheduled to appear in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court today following their arrest last week in connection with the possession of unlicensed firearms.
The group was apprehended on Wednesday, December 24, during a joint operation by South African Police Service (SAPS) units and Sibanye-Stillwater mine security in the Westonaria area. Among those arrested are nine Lesotho nationals, one Mozambican national, and one South African citizen – a mine employee accused of harbouring undocumented immigrants. Police confirmed that some of the foreign suspects were tenants on the South African’s property.
Authorities seized an AK-47 rifle, four pistols, quantities of ammunition, and in some reports, items linked to illegal mining such as suspected mercury.
The arrests come amid investigations into a deadly mass shooting at the KwaNoxolo tavern in nearby Bekkersdal on December 21, where gunmen killed at least nine patrons (with some reports citing ten deaths) and injured ten others. About twelve armed attackers arrived in vehicles and opened fire indiscriminately before fleeing.
Police have noted that recovered ammunition matches the type found at the tavern shooting scene. The seized firearms are undergoing ballistic testing to determine if they were used in the attack or other crimes. One suspect in possession of the AK-47 has been described as a person of interest in the mass shooting.
The suspects face charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, illegal immigration, and defeating the ends of justice.
The Bekkersdal and Westonaria areas, plagued by abandoned mine shafts, have long struggled with illegal mining (known as zama zama operations), gang violence, and the proliferation of illegal weapons – issues often involving undocumented migrants.
Investigations are ongoing, with police intensifying efforts to combat violent crime in the West Rand region. No updates on today’s court proceedings were immediately available.