During the arrest of the Basotho nationals, police seized an AK-47 rifle with “a lot” of ammunition and four handguns also with an assortment of ammunition.
Of the Riverlea arrests, she said 69 are for being undocumented, one for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, another for possession of ammunition, five for possession of suspected stolen property and three for common assault.
Police seized an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, explosives, gas cylinders, gold-bearing sand and alcohol from an illegal shebeen.
Protests erupted in the area on Monday after the discovery of the bodies of five suspected illegal miners in Riverlea and the neighbouring Zamimpilo informal settlement.
Police have since linked the killings to a shoot-out between two rival groups of illegal miners.
Muridili said the police operations will continue “until Riverlea’s illegal mining activities have been stabilised”.
TimesLIVE
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