Seven suspects arrested after extortion incident at Carolina mine
The incident led to the temporary closure of production, and the suspects also reportedly sought monetary payments from the mine.

CAROLINA – The local police have made a significant breakthrough in an extortion case with the arrest of seven men, aged between 38 and 46, in connection with an incident at a local mine.
The men arrived at the mine on January 8 and presented what appeared to be a fraudulent court order demanding an immediate halt to all mining activities.
The incident led to the temporary closure of production, and the suspects also reportedly sought monetary payments from the mine.
The following day, the Carolina police were called in to investigate the court order’s authenticity.
Upon further examination, it was revealed that the courts had no record or knowledge of this order, prompting law enforcement to open a case of fraud with additional charges of extortion.
This led to the seven suspects being arrested and charged. They appeared in the Carolina Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
The suspects were each granted R2 000 bail. Their next court appearance is scheduled for February 24.
The investigation to trace the origins of the fraudulent court order continues, and the police have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests being carried out.
The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, welcomed the arrests and issued a strong warning against extortion activities.
“Extortion will not be tolerated,” he emphasised, and urged community members to report any such incidents to the law enforcement agencies.