Illegal miners

A group of 87 illegal miners appeared before the Stilfontein Regional Court on Thursday. Image: Twitter/ saps

Illegal miners sentenced to a combined 696 years in prison

The illegal miners had mining equpment, gold bearing material, two mini buses, eleven firearms, and 400 cartridges of ammunition.

Illegal miners

A group of 87 illegal miners appeared before the Stilfontein Regional Court on Thursday. Image: Twitter/ saps

A group of 87 illegal miners who were arrested in October 2021, got sentenced to a combined 696 years in prison.

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ILLEGAL MINERS ARRESTED BY HAWKS

The miners were arrested during an operation led by the Hawks. They were joined by the Special Task Force and the District Illicit Mining Task Team.

The 87 miners appeared before the Stilfontein Regional Court on Thursday.

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HAWKS SPOKESPERSON ON THE SENTENCE

Hawks spokesperson Tlangelani Rikhotso said that all the accused miners pleaded guilty to their charges of robbery on Tuesday.

“All accused who have been in custody since their arrest pleaded guilty to charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances on 28 March 2023 and they were resultantly each sentenced to eight years direct imprisonment.”

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The miners had illegal mining equipment, gold-bearing material, two minibusses, eleven firearms, about 4000 cartridges of ammunition, and bags of food when they were arrested.

Mining site in Orkney, North West. Image: Hawks

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Earlier this year, the Hawks arrested three miners in Limpopo, while mining equipment with an estimated R3.5 million was confiscated.

On the evening of 23 January, three suspected illegal miners were arrested following a successful disruptive operation. The operation was led by Limpopo Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation members. National Intervention Unit (NIU) based in Pretoria, assisted the team.

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The three suspects were found busy with their illegal activities when the team ambushed them.

Two large excavators, one tipper truck, and a large chrome stockpile with an estimated value of over R3.5 million were confiscated during the operation.