In Krugersdorp, a suburb of Johannesburg, South African police detained more than 40 individuals on suspicion of engaging in illegal mining on Tuesday.
Following reports of the gang rapes of eight women and the armed theft of a video production crew, authorities in the province of Gauteng have intensified their operations against unlicensed miners recently.
None of the people apprehended on Tuesday have been directly connected to the incident that shocked the Krugersdorp community, despite the fact that the accused in that instance are reportedly illegal miners.
Although the 40 individuals were detained for their “own deeds,” according to Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela, the process of collecting DNA samples and fingerprints may be useful in future investigations.
A number of police units, including a tactical reaction squad, sniffing dogs, and a support chopper, joined Mawela in the operation.
According to authorities, the gang rapes happened when an armed group of men ambushed a crew that was filming a music video at one of the abandoned mines on Thursday of last week.
According to Lt Gen Elias Mawela, the police commissioner for Gauteng province, “the crew of 22 individuals — 12 ladies and 10 males — were busy recording a music video when they were allegedly ambushed by a group of armed men wrapped in blankets.”
He claimed that after telling everyone to lie down, the suspects raped eight of the women and took all they owned before departing the scene. The crew’s whole video gear was taken. According to Mawela, the police were looking into 32 rape allegations.
After three individuals engaged in a gunfight with police before being apprehended, spent gun ammunition was also discovered close to one mine dump.
In the numerous abandoned mine shafts in the Johannesburg area, illegal miners known as zama-zamas search for gold.
