Police are intensifying efforts to curb illegal mining within the Florida policing precinct, continuing with regular raids at sites where zama zamas have established extensive operations.

Last week, officers conducted several surprise operations targeting key illegal mining hotspots across the area. They were joined by a specialised operational unit from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), achieving significant success in disrupting activities and dismantling infrastructure.

On Wednesday, April 8, police and SANDF members descended on the notorious Central Rand Gold (CRG) mine, where illegal miners have taken over a large tunnel previously used to transport gold-bearing material to refinery sites.

The tunnel fell into disuse when the mine closed in 2019, and a substantial illegal mining operation has since developed.

Despite regular raids, illegal miners have continued operating inside the tunnel.

The Roodepoort Record has since established that the tunnel does not extend as far as Carletonville, as previously reported. Only about 3km is accessible from the CRG site, after which a large section is submerged.

Also read: Police continue to target zama zama operations

Officers from various stations across Gauteng, alongside SANDF members, moved into the tunnel, forcing zama zamas to flee deeper underground.

A large-scale dismantling operation followed, with police clearing hundreds of makeshift processing stations used to treat mined material.

Each station is equipped with a petrol-powered pump operating a phenduka – a metal cylinder filled with steel balls used to crush gold-bearing material before it is bagged and sent to refineries for extraction.

While police have raided the site on numerous occasions, limited manpower previously prevented a full dismantling of the operation, leaving some larger equipment behind.

With increased personnel in this latest operation, officers penetrated deeper into the tunnel than before, removing and destroying processing stations. Equipment too large to remove was destroyed or burnt on site.

According to a police source, further operations were conducted throughout the week at known illegal mining sites in Florida and surrounding precincts.