Police arrest 9 suspected illegal miners following gunfire near Schoemanskloof
A heavy police presence remains in the area after deadly exchanges of gunfire forced several road closures along the R539 over the past week.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that nine suspected illegal miners were arrested earlier today, October 3.
“They are still being processed, and once we are done, we will make the information available,” said Masondo.
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Rival gunfire closes R539
The arrests come after the R539 was closed several times over the past week amid ongoing exchanges of gunfire between rival groups that resulted in several deaths.
ALSO READ: Schoemanskloof Road closed again after second body found amid illegal mining shoot-out
A heavy police presence has since been deployed to the area as law enforcement operations continue to address the ongoing illegal mining activity and related violence.
This is a developing story. Lowvelder will update readers as more information becomes available.
