Stilfontein residents divided over Zama Zamas arrests

Pictures By Nokukhanya Mntambo/Eyewitness News on pictures.

By Thys Khiba – Some North West residents in Stilfontein did not celebrate and welcome the arrests of 21 alleged Stilfontein illegal miners by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation.

This comes after alleged illegal miners were arrested at an abandoned mineshaft on Monday.

On Wednesday morning, arrested suspects appeared and faced charges of the possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, as well as the contravention of the Immigration Act at the local magistrates court. The accused are aged between 19 and 40.

While other community members are concerned about their safety due to weapons used by illegal miners, some residents claim zama zamas are not an immediate threat to the community.

Communities around abandoned mineshafts have raised concerns of violence and continuous gunshots, with reports of zama zamas terrorising them

Speaking to Free State Central News, some community members said illegal miners at nearby abandoned shafts don’t interfere with them.

“Everybody has got to make a living, that’s the only way they can survive,” the resident said.

Affected girlfriend agreed that the illegal miners weren’t a threat, she warned not to approach their territory.

“My boyfriend and I had bigger plans but now that he is arrested, I don’t know how I’m going to achieve those plans by myself,” a second resident said.

The Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale confimed the arrest comes following weeks of surveillance into the alleged illegal mining activities and the seizure of fifteen (15) AK47s, six (6) hunting rifles, two (2) shotguns and one (1) R5, boxes full of ammunition, explosives and an undisclosed amount of money.

The case against the 21 accused was postponed to 18 October 2022 for verification of addresses and their immigration status.

Magistrate Lizelle Kok confirmed the postponement of the matter to allow immigration officials to verify the status of the foreign nationals.

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