Police recover illegally mined chrome
DIPHALE – The multi-dimensional forces recovered tons of illegally mined chrome during operation Vala Umgodi in Diphale Village outside Burgersfort on Tuesday, 18 June.
The team comprising of various South African Police Service (SAPS) units, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), National Intervention Unit, in collaboration with private security, received information about illegal miners who had created stock piles of chrome on top of a mountain for trucks to come collect.
Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, Limpopo Provincial Police spokesperson, said the team operationalised the information and went to the village’s illegal mining site where the stock piles of chrome were found.
Ledwaba informed that the members made arrangements to bring down the chrome and moved it to a safer place.
He indicated that the team recovered a generator, electrical cable, blue helmet, a wheelbarrow and drilling bit during the raid.
“Two suspects were arrested for illegal mining and violation of the Immigration Act. The suspects will appear before the Mecklenburg Magistrate’s Court soon. Police investigations are ongoing,” explained Ledwaba.
Meanwhile, the intensified Shanela operations conducted across the province led to the arrest of 650 suspects for various offences and recovered six stolen or hijacked vehicles. The operations were executed from 10 to 16 June.
Ledwaba said the suspects were apprehended for crimes ranging from rape, robberies, burglaries, carjacking, malicious damage to property, possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, dealing in drugs to possession of dagga.
He revealed that moreover, 83 circulated wanted suspects were also nabbed. “The members visited 102 second-hand dealers and 334 liquor premises,” added Ledwaba.
The Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the arrests and praised the police and other stakeholders involved for working tirelessly to fight against criminal activities in the province.
The arrested suspects have already started to appear in different magistrate’s courts around the province.
