Pretoria - Four men arrested in Limpopo over allegations of illegal mining have been remanded in custody.
Three of the men are Zimbabwean nationals while the fourth is a South African.
Thirty-two-year-old Lloyd Sithole, Moses Nemanganda, 37, Wilton Haruzi, 34 and 23-year-old Joseph Hlongwane appeared at the Sekhukhune magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
Limpopo regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said they were arrested after being found driving three trucks loaded with unprocessed chrome.
“The case was remanded to Friday for legal representatives. All suspects are in custody,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
Police said on Wednesday that the four had been arrested during an operation on Tuesday night aimed at weeding out rampant illegal mining in Limpopo.
During the operation, police spotted three trucks driving along a road and pulled them over. A search revealed the vehicles were loaded with suspected unprocessed chrome which was confiscated.
Last August, 14 alleged illegal miners were arrested and trucks and trailers loaded with suspected illicitly-mined chrome ore worth about R15 million were seized in Thabazimbi, also in Limpopo.
Members of the provincial organised crime unit assisted by police detectives and security officers from the Northam platinum mine confiscated eight trucks and trailers loaded with chrome ore during an early morning crackdown.
The Star