117 ILLEGAL MINERS TO APPEAR IN COURT

117 ILLEGAL MINERS TO APPEAR IN COURT

By BRIAN KAJENGO

Evander - An Intelligence driven sting operation was executed yesterday morning at the old mines in Leslie and Evander near Secunda, by different police units in Secunda which included Evander SAPS, Bomb Squad, Tactical Reaction Team (TRT), Public Order Policing, Crime Intelligence, K9, Airwing and National Intervention Unit (NIU).

This comes after the shooting incident that occurred on Friday 11 July 2014, at Winkelhaak Mine also in Evander which left 18-year-old Sanele Mokane dead and five others hospitalised.

All the victims are Lesotho nationals. It’s alleged that a rival group shot the victims after a squabble broke while they were involved in illegal mining.

The incident evoked the police to initiate an urgent operation which led to the arrest of 117 illegal miners aged between 18 and 45, who believed to be from Lesotho.

The suspects will be appearing before the Evander Magistrate’s Court today and tomorrow facing charges of illegal mining and trespassing.