Gang caught red-handed with 150 bags of chrome-bearing material in Dullstroom
The seven suspects were arrested after a tip-off from a community member.
On Tuesday April 18 at about 07:40, the SAPS confiscated 150 bags of chrome-bearing material in Sakhelwe Township outside Dullstroom.
The suspects, six Zimbabwean nationals and one South African, are between 19 and 40 years old. The Department of Home Affairs assisted the SAPS in verifying the status of the foreign nationals.
They had the chrome rocks (chrome-bearing material) and a Mercedes-Benz truck in their possession. A community member alerted the police about the alleged criminal activities in Sakhelwe.
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The suspects were unable to explain how they got the material. They were charged with possession of suspected stolen property. A charge of illegal mining might be added, pending investigation.
The suspects appeared in Dullstroom Magistrate’s Court on April 19.
Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, provincial commissioner of Mpumalanga, welcomed the arrest and commended the whistle-blower.
