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Police have arrested 69 foreign nationals since Tuesday and confiscated mining equipment at the Zamimpilo informal settlement, near Riverlea.
This amid continual police raids in the area, after Riverlea residents took to the streets to protest illegal mining.
According to Brigadier Brenda Muridili, 69 suspects are undocumented, one suspect has been arrested for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, one suspect for possession of ammunition, five suspects for possession of suspected stolen property and three suspects for common assault.
On Wednesday, Saps specialised task teams seized gas cylinders and illegal mining equipment.
City of Johannesburg's PR region councillor and Riverlea resident, Theo Doyle, said: "As the Minister of Police Bheki Cele promised, we can see some movement here, we have law enforcement on the ground confiscating equipment of these illegal miners.
"We are trusting that the raids will continue for the next few days, up until the matter is permanently resolved."
Doyle added that police visibility is important because the Riverlea community is living in fear and they are under siege.
"These illegal mines are causing havoc and I believe that it is an injustice to this community, and that the community has been crying out for years for the government to intervene. I believe also that they do not take us seriously with regards to the Sasol gas lines that are connected underground and the explosives that the illegal miners are using.
"Are they waiting for a disaster to happen? We will not stop protesting as residents until the minister of mineral resources and minister of police come out and show some urgency," said Doyle.
Brigadier Brenda Muridili giving an update on the developments of SAPS search for illegal miners at George Harrison Park in Riverlea @City_Press. Video: Rosetta Msimango. pic.twitter.com/rsCgGE9wql
— Zandile Majavu (@majavu_zandile) August 2, 2023
While the teams were searching and using drones to scout the illegal miners at the dumps, gunshots were fired and the special task force national intervention unit as well as tactical response team confronted the zama zamas.
Some of the mining holes in the informal settlement were closed off by the police.
One suspect that was arrested during the raids told City Press that he is a Zimbabwean national and is married with two children. He said others managed to get away and he did not think that running to Zamimpilo would get him caught.
He said that he earns close to R3 000 in two weeks from illegal mining activities.
On Tuesday, a traumatised 79-year-old woman from Horseshoe old age village in Riverlea said she hopes that Police Minister Bheki Cele keeps to his word and improves police visibility in and around the area as well as arrest illegal miners.
Marlene Humphries, who has been living in Riverlea for about 12 years has called for the removal of the Zamimpilo informal settlement.
An agitated Humphries told City Press that her children want her to move from the village because of the escalated violence and increased shootings by illegal miners.
“I am traumatised and scared, my children want me to move out of here, because they do not want me to live here, where all this is happening, I hope that Bheki [Cele] keeps his word, as he was here on Monday and promised police visibility.”
During a visit to the area on Monday afternoon, Cele, accompanied by the police’s top brass, assured residents that he was willing to put his head on the line to restore calm.
Cele said a group of external specialised units would be deployed to the area to go “toe to toe” with criminals in the are and that he had also met with Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe to close disused shafts
