North West police arrested 26 suspected illegal miners during a raid in Skeerpoort outside Brits as part of Operation Prosper, conducted in collaboration with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
Authorities reported an early morning exchange of gunfire between security forces and the suspects in the Skeerpoort Valley Mountains. No fatalities were reported. Police and SANDF members regrouped after the operation, which also led to the confiscation of a handgun, generators, and other mining equipment.
A police spokesperson detailed the sequence of events: “We have arrested 26 illegal miners in total at all the sites and with a variety of equipment and a firearm as well. Initially when the police engaged with the SANDF, the suspects did open fire on the police but then obviously when they were met with a fierce comeback they then fled the scene. We have arrested a number of suspects and recovered one of the firearms.”
The suspects are believed to be foreign nationals, and authorities are working with Home Affairs to verify their documentation status. They are expected to face charges under the environmental act, for being undocumented, and for possession of gold-bearing material. Forensic work is ongoing to link the recovered firearm to one of the arrested individuals.
The operation forms part of broader efforts against rising illegal mining activities and unauthorised wash plants, particularly in the Bojanala and Madibeng areas. The police spokesperson emphasised that multidisciplinary operations will continue: “We are currently in the stabilization phase trying to address all manifestations of illegal mining. Obviously the real solution is the regulatory aspect with other departments coming on board… but we are purely addressing it from a crime point of view.”
The raid site is part of a major land restitution project managed by a property association — a 400 million rand, government-assisted 2,000-hectare acquisition intended as a flagship initiative. The association was the first to report the illegal mining, which has caused significant damage to their farmland and the nearby river system.
The property association had applied to the minerals department for prospecting rights to explore viable mineral deposits on the property.