Police seize 207kg of gold-bearing rock in Free State illegal mining raids, 14 arrested

Fourteen people were arrested and suspected gold-bearing material weighing a combined 207,2kg was confiscated during a week of anti-illegal-mining operations across the Lejweleputswa District in the Free State, the South African Police Service says.

The operations, run under Operation Prosper, were carried out in Welkom, Odendaalsrus and Theunissen. The teams involved the SAPS, the South African National Defence Force and mine security, working on what the police statement describes as identified illicit mining hotspots in the district.

In Welkom, two foreign nationals were arrested after they were found in possession of possible gold-bearing material weighing 157,1kg, along with equipment suspected of having been used in illegal operations. The two men, aged 25 and 36, face charges of possession of gold-bearing material and trespassing.

In Odendaalsrus, three suspected illegal miners aged 46, 48 and 54 were found with suspected gold-bearing material weighing 50,1kg and equipment. All three men were arrested for possession of gold-bearing material and trespassing.

In Theunissen, a 36-year-old woman was arrested for contravening the Immigration Act and trespassing. Eight other suspects, aged between 25 and 33, were arrested for trespassing on the same mining premises.

Along with the suspected gold-bearing material, police confiscated five spades, one pickaxe and one shovel, which they say were presumably used in the commission of the crime.

The police statement says law enforcement agencies remain committed to dealing decisively with illegal mining activities and to dismantling criminal networks through crime intelligence-led operations.

This account is drawn from the SAPS media statement issued by the Office of the Provincial Commissioner in the Free State, which summarises the week’s operations rather than setting out the underlying docket or evidence. Enquiries on the statement are directed to Sergeant Palesa Thabana.

The source is available at https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=71898.