The police have been leading a recovery operation for the past 24 hours to help the miners who were unable to exit the shaft in Sabie. Three bodies were retrieved on Wednesday, and the operation had to be halted due to a lack of resources.
“The loss of life is deeply regretted. This further demonstrates that illegal mining is not only hazardous and possesses a challenge for neighbouring communities but also carries a lot of danger for those partaking.”
Masemola said police had seized two AK47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition from the mine after a shoot-out last week during an operation.
“The members noticed about 11 suspects all armed with rifles shooting towards the members. The members returned fire in an act of self-defence. The battle lasted about 30-40 minutes. The suspects then started running back into the bushes.
“A member from the K9 unit was shot and injured and taken to hospital. He has fortunately been discharged. Three suspects were fatally wounded.”
Since December 2023 police have confiscated more than 427 high-calibre firearms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition from illegal mining operations, Masemola added.
TimesLIVE
https://www.timeslive.co.za/authors/innocentia-nkadimeng/
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