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Johannesburg - Seven people, including two minors, have been arrested for being in possession of illegally mined gold dust, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police said on Tuesday.
The suspects were picked up on traffic-monitoring CCTV on the N12 near the Atlas Road turn-off unloading bags from an Isuzu bakkie on Monday morning, according to Metro Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago.
They fled into a stormwater drain under the highway after spotting a horse and dog unit approaching them.
Four of them bolted from the drain, scaled a fence and hid in bushes but were apprehended.
The dogs' barking into the stormwater drain resulted in a fifth person surrendering and two other people in the bakkie were also arrested.
The officers found five bags weighing about 10kg each filled with gold dust, unprocessed rocks and equipment associated with illegal mining.
Two of those arrested are 15 and 16 years old. The others are between the ages of 20 and 30.
They were taken to Boksburg police station and will appear in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday on charges of being in possession of illegally mined gold dust.
Kgasago said initial information indicates they were mining in the Germiston area.
