Second group of illegal Stilfontein miners sentenced
They were each handed down six months imprisonment or a R12,000 fine for illegal mining and an additional three months in prison or a R6,000 fine for being in the country without proper documentation.
An aerial view shows an open mine shaft where artisanal miners get access to the mine in Stilfontein on 17 November 2024. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - A second group of zama zamas from Stilfontein have been sentenced for illegal mining and the contravention of the Immigration Act.
Almost 20 illegal miners were back at the Stilfontein Magistrates Court on Tuesday in the North West.
This included 10 accused from Lesotho, five from Zimbabwe and four from Mozambique.
They were each handed six months imprisonment or a R12,000 fine for illegal mining and an additional three months in prison or a R6,000 fine for being in the country without proper documentation.
But North West police spokesperson, Sabata Mokgwabone, said that the sentences were wholly suspended for a period of five years, on condition they were not convicted for the same crimes during this period.
"Following the sentences, the accused were on Tuesday, 07 January 2025, deported to their countries of origin by the Department of Home Affairs. The accused were arrested at Margaret Shaft where they resurfaced in November 2024. This group was sentenced 20 days after the first one.
"Meanwhile, five illegal miners resurfaced at Margaret Shaft on Tuesday morning, 07 January 2024. This brings the total number of illegal miners arrested between 18 August 2024 and 07 January 2025, to 1,567," said Mokgwabone.