According to the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, a pre-trial date has been set for 6 July by the Stilfontein Regional Court.  

The 87 suspected illegal miners were arrested at shaft 2 in Orkney following a shootout with police, and as a result, eight miners were left wounded whilst six died after sustaining fatal wounds. 

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All the accused are in police custody and they are charged with six counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy to commit robbery, illegal mining, possession of automatic firearms, attempted murder and contravening the Immigration Act.

The state and the defence attorney are expected to exchange all the necessary documents and resolve other pending matters in preparation for trial, and subsequently, a trial date will be decided upon.

All the accused are in police custody after they abandoned bail, owing to their illegal status in South Africa.

The suspects got into a shootout with members of the Special Task Force, assisted by the Hawks in the North West, during an intelligence-driven operation on Wednesday 20 October 2021.

"The eight (8) injured have since been discharged from the hospital and are now in police custody. Following the shootout, police discovered two mini-busses, illegal mining paraphernalia, gold-bearing material, eleven Illegal firearms (three shotguns, three rifles, four pistols and one revolver) and bags of food," Mamothame adds. 

The suspects are between the ages of 25 to 49 years old.

OFM News