Ten suspects were arrested for illegal mining in Klerksdorp, on Tuesday.
They are between the ages of 16 and 47, and were arrested for the unlawful possession of gold.
Police said they acted on a tip-off, about suspects who were allegedly processing gold on a plot in Klerksdorp.
Bystanders confirmed seeing trucks loaded with suspected gold-bearing material, driving into the plot.
Members of the Klerksdorp-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation, in collaboration with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Jouberton SAPS, caught the ten unaware and seized bags containing gold-bearing material, mining equipment and two vehicles.
All suspects will appear in the Klerksdorp Magistrates’ Court soon.
Picture: SAPS newsroom.