The Police in Westenburg have arrested three male suspects, aged 34 and 39, for unlawful dealing in gold-bearing minerals at Bergenek village outside Polokwane in Capricorn District.
It is reported that members of the SAPS Capricorn District Illicit Mining Task Team acted swiftly following information about unlawful dealing in precious minerals on Sunday 10 March 2024.
Members spotted a motor vehicle silver Toyota Corolla Tazz parked in front of the gate of a farm at Bergenek in the Roodepoort area of Westenburg policing precinct.
Upon searching the vehicle and the three occupants, the police discovered a substantial amount of money and gold-bearing ore as well as a pocket scale. The suspects were also found to be undocumented persons.
The Team has further conducted patrols within the area of Bergenek as another activity of the Disruptive Operation Vala Umgodi and they managed to arrest six suspects for contravention of the Immigration Act as they failed to provide the police with necessary traveling documents.
In a separate incident, another five illegal immigrants were arrested through ongoing Operation Vala Umgodi in Vhembe District on Sunday, 10 March 2024.
The eleven suspects arrested at Bergenek in Capricorn and Vhembe Districts will be processed by the Immigration Officers from the Department of Home Affairs for direct deportation back to their countries.
The suspects are expected to appear before Polokwane Magistrate’s Courts on Tuesday, 12 March 2024, facing charges of unlawful possession and dealing in gold-bearing minerals.
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