Trial against 87 illegal miners set to begin in NW
The National Prosecuting Authority says the trial of 87 illegal miners will start in the Stilfontein Regional Court in North West next month.
The group was arrested in October last year following a shootout with members of the Special Task Force and the Hawks in the province.
Six people were killed while eight others were wounded.
NPA spokesperson Henry Mamothame says a date will be set as soon as all the necessary documentation is in place.
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The 87 illegal miners are all behind bars after they decided to abandoned their bid due to their immigration status.
They are facing a raft of charges, including six counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy to commit robbery, and illegal mining.
“The eight injured have since been discharged from the hospital, and are now in police custody. Following the shootout, police discovered two minibuses, illegal mining paraphernalia, gold-bearing material, and eleven Illegal firearms, and bags of food,” says Mamothame.
