Police arrest three alleged zama zamas

Three men were arrested in Ermelo on Thursday, December 12, for alleged illegal mining.

The trio is expected to appear in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, December 17.

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According to a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, some other alleged illegal miners fired shots at the SAPS officers. The shoot-out resulted in the death of one of the miners.

Mdhluli said the police and the members of Operation Vala Umgodi received some information about illicit mining activities being conducted near a certain country club. “They tactically approached the area and some of the alleged illegal miners fled to evade arrest as the team got closer. The members saw that some of these individuals were armed.

At that moment, some other alleged zama zamas started shooting at the police. They responded accordingly and in the process one of the illegal miners was shot dead,” Mdhluli said.

He also said it was at this time that the three suspects were cornered and arrested.

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“The circumstances surrounding this shooting incident is still under investigation and due to the allegations that the SAPS members were involved in the shooting, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate will conduct their investigation,” Mdhluli concluded.