Man in court for illegal transportation of chrome in Burgersfort
During the operation, a suspicious tipper truck was spotted driving in the area. It was stopped and searched.
Brighton Mutandani (37) appeared in the Praktiseer Regional Court, outside Burgersfort on February 6 for allegedly transporting chrome without a permit and contravening the Immigration Act.
As the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation continues to fight the scourge of illegal mining in the province, a joint sting operation between the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit and Crime Intelligence was conducted on the evening of February 2 on the R37.
During the operation, a suspicious tipper truck was spotted driving in the area. It was stopped and searched.
“The truck was found fully loaded with chrome, which the driver could not produce a permit for. He was immediately placed under arrest.
“Further investigations revealed that the driver did not have legal documents to be in the country,” said the Limpopo Hawks spokesperson, Matimba Maluleke.
The estimated value of the seized items (chrome and tipper truck) is R650 00. Mutandani was remanded in custody until February 10 for a formal bail application.
“We look forward to conducting more operations to deal with illegal mining problems. Our presence will be felt,” added Maluleke.
