Illegal gold refinery shut down in Westonaria
A property owner at the Zuurbekom plots in the west of Johannesburg is among three men arrested for operating an illegal gold processing refinery in the area.
The trio were arrested on Wednesday after Hawks received a tip-off of the operation.
The Hawks kept watch of the property for some time before finally pouncing on Wednesday.
Five well-developed manufacturing operations worth at least R5 million were discovered, including ten big pendukas, thirty tonnes of gold bearing material, four gas cylinders and mercury.
Hawks spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mulamu says two of the suspects were caught red-handed.
"When we arrived on the premises we found them busy with the processing of gold and that's when we apprehended them.
"The plot owner was also arrested for harbouring the suspects for operating criminal activity in his premises.”
Mulamu says Eskom also shut down the illegal electricity connections on the plot.
"We established that at that processes what they are doing is also connecting electricity illegally so all the operations are being conducted with illegal electricity connections.
"So Eskom were there to disconnect the electricity."
All three suspects will appear before Westonaria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
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