More than 30 zama zamas were arrested in various locations at the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in the past three days, for illegal mining activities. According to the police, the arrests were made during the ongoing Vala Umgodi operations which they said continues to deal effectively with illicit mining and related crimes in the province. Police said in the first operation, officers confiscated two excavators and several other illegal mining equipment that were abandoned at Bapong illegal mining site in the policing precinct of Mogwase. “The operation further led to the arrest of ten individuals for contravention of the immigration act, in Gèelhoutpark, Rustenburg. The suspects who are Zimbabwe and Malawi foreign nationals, are expected to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 24 March,” said provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone.In another operation in Freedom Park near Phokeng, police arrested 12 undocumented foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and the suspects are expected to appear in the Bafokeng Magistrates’ Court in Tlhabane on 24 March.“In Mogwase policing area, nine undocumented foreign nationals were arrested between Friday and Saturday, in Moruleng near Mogwase. Furthermore, the team confiscated illegal mining equipment at Witrandjie illegal mining site. In Schamburg near Hartbeespoort dam, the team confiscated abandoned penduka machines and steel balls,” explained Mokgwabone.Meanwhile, the MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng, has applauded the police for the arrest of suspects. “We can’t be held at ransom by criminals and even want to legitimise illegal activities under the pretence of joblessness. As is the case in the current arrests, as had been with previous ones, majority of the those arrested are illegal in the country. More often they are also wanted for other contraventions. We also are appealing to communities to report all suspected criminal activities of any kind. I’m grateful for all the hard work by law enforcement officers to nip their criminality in the bud,” remarked Morweng.The MEC highlighted that the third quarter crime statistics revealed that illicit mining activities are mostly found in Matlosana, Rustenburg and Moses Kotane municipalities.
