Police in Florida are intensifying efforts to clamp down on illegal mining, conducting extensive raids on known hotspots this past week.

Officers, supported by Gauteng Traffic Wardens and private security, targeted a large mining site along Albertina Sisulu Road, behind the BP service station between Hebbard and Westlake roads, on March 25. The site is believed to host both surface and underground operations.

Police approached from multiple directions in an attempt to block escape routes. However, due to the size of the area, dense vegetation and an extensive network of tunnels, most suspects managed to flee.

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A police source said at least 50 zama zamas operate at the site daily, mining for gold and polluting groundwater with hazardous chemicals such as mercury, used to separate gold from ore.

Officers dismantled makeshift mining structures, which had reportedly been rebuilt after a previous raid, and removed equipment found on site. Some items left behind were destroyed.

The operation then moved to the Jerusalema informal settlement, another hotspot, where police again dismantled illegal structures and confiscated equipment.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Ivy Mabuso, seven illegal immigrants were arrested for suspected illegal mining. Equipment seized included phendukas, gas and oxygen cylinders, cutting torches and water pumps.

More than 50 people and 30 vehicles were searched during the operation.

“We will continue targeting these operations until those involved are driven out of the area,” said Mabuso.