In an unusual manner, a group of 88 suspected illegal miners handed themselves over to mine authorities in Marikana outside Rustenburg in North West.
The group reportedly emerged from underground at the Newman Shaft of Sibanye Marikana Operations on Tuesday, and handed themselves over without incident.
North West police spokesperson, Captain Sam Tselanyane said the police in Mooinooi were called to Newman Shaft after 88 suspected illegal miners, aged between 15 and 40, voluntarily handed themselves over to the authorities.
He said of the 88 men, 86 were illegal immigrants and two are South Africans.
The mine was rehabilitating the unused shaft when the illegal miners emerged from underground.
“All the illegal miners were taken to one of the mine halls and later handed over to the police,” Tselanyane said.
The group was charged with illegal mining, trespassing, tampering with essential infrastructure, and contravention of section 49(1)(a) of the Immigration Act, 2002 (Act No. 13 of 2002).
In a separate case, Tselanyane said Sam Mashaba, 37, Thapelo Mokoae 26, and Peter Nhlapo, 45, were arrested on charges of illegal mining and illegal possession of explosives.
They appeared in the Klerksdorp Magistrate's Court on Monday.
Their case was.postponed to September 5 for investigation. They would remain in custody.
The three were arrested on Friday when a multidisciplinary team conducted an operation at Wolwerand Shiva Mine in Hartbeesfontein near Klerksdorp.
Tselanyane said the team discovered and seized goods such as 32 super power 90 explosives, 220 metres of solar cord detonating fuses, seven CarMax fuses, 17 generators, 26 jack-hammers, four water pumps, eight electrical motors with gearboxes, two borehole pumps, a submersible pump, 320 metre long electric cable, 51 drill bits, 200 metres of air hose, one industrial air compressor for air drilling and 12 big pendukas (hand driven cylinder to extract gold).
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