About 62 undocumented people were arrested with illegal mining equipment, on Wednesday, at Crystal Park, in Ekurhuleni.
Police said in addition, 46 illegal structures were also demolished during the operation.
“The operation focused on combating illegal mining activities, disconnecting illegal electricity connections, and demolishing illegal structures at the N12 Informal Settlement in Crystal Park” said the police in a statement.
The arrested suspects are expected to appear before the Magistrate’s Court, on charges related to the contravention of the Immigration Act and illicit mining activities.
The arrests are part of a collaborative illicit mining operation, called “Operation Prosper” comprising of various stakeholders including SAPS Crystal Park, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Springs Public Order Policing (POP), Crime Intelligence, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), Gauteng Traffic Wardens, Department of Home Affairs, private security companies, Emergency Fire and Rescue Services, Department of Human Settlements, Department of Social Development, and the Department of Energy.
Various equipment was confiscated, including phendukas, pots, electrical motors, generators, wheelbarrows, a hammer, spades, iron balls, a solar battery, a gambling machine, extension cords, liquor bottles, connector-capped fuses, blasting cartridges, reels of detonating cord, detonating fuses, cutting torches, oxygen cylinders, gas bottles, stampers, steel pots, and motors.
Picture: SAPS newsroom.