From about 10pm last night, 8 April, gunshots could be heard all over Kagiso and Krugersdorp.
Reports indicate that a robbery took place at the mine next to the off-road dirt track, Dirt Bronco, where illegal miners and mine security workers were shooting at each other.
The problems regarding the illegal miners have been increasing lately.
Also Read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/krugersdorp-news/350921/just-in-women-attacked-by-men-hear-gunshots-and-find-friend-dead/
Residents said the shooting continued for almost four hours and could be heard as far away as Noordheuwel.
Sharday van den Berg, the public relations officer for the Sector 4 Community Policing Forum, said they urged their patrollers and the residents in the Wentworth Park area to stay in doors and not investigate.
The News is awaiting feedback from police about the current state of the situation.
In October last year, reports indicated that 500 illegal miners had moved into the Makhulugama informal settlement just outside West Village. Since then, the police have raided the area and arrested many people with illegal mining equipment, but the most shocking is the amount of ammunition and types of firearms they have found.
There have also been shootouts between the police and the illegal miners. Last month, they found two firearms that were linked to house robberies in Klerksdorp, and a rifle.
Residents say the shots that were fired during last night’s shootout sounded like automatic gunfire.
In a recent article in the News, residents from Wentworth Park explained how these illegal miners have impacted their lives and safety.
Read it here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/krugersdorp-news/376921/zama-zamas-a-growing-problem-for-homeowners/
Residents say they see men guarding the entrances to illegal mining tunnels next to the railway in Wentworth Park and that the area is not safe for them any more.
If you have any information regarding this story which you would like to share, please contact journalist Natasha Pretorius, on 011 591 3722.
