Heavy sentences for illegal Orkney miners
The group of 87 illegal miners were arrested by police in Orkney in North West in October 2021
The miners were arrested during an operation led by the Hawks, together with the Special Task Force and the District Illicit Mining Task Team.
The 87 illegal miners appeared before the Stilfontein Regional Court on Thursday.
Their arrests followed a culmination of months of surveillance after the illegal miners took control of a dormant shaft.
During the arrests illegal mining paraphernalia, gold bearing material, two mini buses, eleven firearms about 4000 cartridges of ammunition and bags of food were seized.
Hawks spokesperson Tlangelani Rikhotso says all the accused pleaded guilty to their charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances on Tuesday.
“All accused who have been in custody since their arrest, pleaded guilty to charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances on 28 March 2023 and they were resultantly each sentenced to eight years direct imprisonment.”
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