Thirteen Zama Zamas Arrested 

Rustenburg - On Wednesday 4 October 2023, thirteen suspects, aged between 18 and 27 and alleged to be Zama Zamas, were arrested by Sibanye Protection Services near the Rustenburg Municipality landfill dumping site while emerging from an opencast incline. 

It is said that Sibanye Protection Services were on a routine patrol early in the morning when they noticed the incline, and the suspects. “They kept observation while calling for backup. The suspects started resurfacing from underground, one by one, with nothing in hand. They were immediately arrested and handed to the Rustenburg police. They were all charged with contravening the Health and Safety Mine Act and trespassing,” said police spokesperson sergeant Ofentse Mokgadi.
During preliminary investigations, it was discovered that all the suspects were foreign nationals from Mozambique, and a charge of illegal immigration was added. The suspects appeared before the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on 6 October where their case was postponed to 1 November. 
The Bojanala Platinum Sub-district 2 commissioner, brigadier Mamotsamai Ntoagae, thanked Sibanye Protection Services for the arrests and their contribution to the fight against illegal mining.