Funda ngesiZuluBy Anita Dangazele
- Police and soldiers arrested more than 70 suspects, including seven women, during a raid at Bundu Inn in Mohlakeng.
- Officers seized more than 20 generators and over 100 bags of gold-bearing material, and the operation was still under way.
More than 70 suspects, including seven women, were arrested during a raid at Bundu Inn in Mohlakeng, West Rand, on Friday, 10 July. Police and soldiers, working together under Operation Prosper, impounded two vehicles, seized more than 20 generators, and confiscated over 100 bags of gold-bearing material. Police say the operation was still under way and the numbers could still rise.
Bundu Inn sits in an area long known as a hotspot for illegal mining. Three people were shot dead there in 2024 in what police linked to turf wars between rival mining gangs, and soldiers have carried out operations in the same area before.
Operation Prosper is a national initiative launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa, deploying more than 2,200 soldiers alongside police across five provinces to fight illegal mining and organised crime. Arrests under the operation have run into the thousands since it began, with recent raids at Westonaria and elsewhere in Gauteng each netting over 150 suspects.
