This group of 20 men includes 13 Lesotho foreign nationals, 5 South Africans, 1 Zimbabwean and 1 Eswatini national.

ALSO READ: Gun-wielding suspects arrested in North West

They will face charges ranging from conspiracy to commit a robbery, to the possession of unlicensed, firearms and ammunition, among others. During the arrest of the suspects by the Hawks, 24 guns - including AK47s - 6 000 rounds of ammunition, and an undisclosed amount of money were confiscated.

According to the Hawks' provincial spokesperson, Tlangelani Rikhotso, the arrest is a result of the continuous fight against illegal mining in the North West province. The North West Hawks - assisted by members of the tactical management section, special task force, the national intervention unit, district illegal mining task team and Harmony Gold Mine - embarked on an early morning raid at a mine shaft in Stilfontein, where approximately 20 suspects were apprehended. “High-calibre firearms, explosives and boxes full of ammunition and an undisclosed amount of money have been seized. The operation is still ongoing,” Rikhotso added.

More suspects could be arrested soon.

ALSO READ: Illegal mining: More arrests possible in North West

During the raid and arrests, more items, including explosives and an undisclosed amount of money, were seized by the police.

Meanwhile upon his return to the province following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Imbizo earlier this year, the Police Minister Bheki Cele vowed to meet up with residents of Stilfontein to iron out issues related to serious crime in the area. Cele on Tuesday 11 October 2022 addressed the media at the crime scene.

"What we can say is that these results yielded are because of the good work that the police are doing and am very glad that the community is concerned and we will be working together with the community. The results will be even better as we work with communities. They have made some invitations, that it should not only be the zama-zamas, they want issues of cable theft here - which makes life difficult for them - and all that resolved. So the community is on board. We will work together and surely the results will be much better."

ALSO READ: Minister Cele vows to meet North West residents to iron out crime issues

In October 2021, there was a shoot-out incident between the police and illegal miners in the area of Orkney in the Matlosana area, where over 80 miners were arrested by the police.

ALSO READ: Kingpin to be added in illegal mining case in North West

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