 (1).png){kind=spacer}
6 months ago
9
KwaZulu-Natal police arrested a truck driver who was found with stolen minerals from the Richards Bay Minerals. (Siyande Mayeza/Netwerk24)
- KZN police arrested a truck driver in possession of stolen minerals.
- Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said law enforcement found the stolen minerals at a location in Durban.
- Mathe said that, since 2022, 43 people had been arrested for charges ranging from theft to murder.
Officers deployed to KwaZulu-Natal to combat the killing of mining executives and the theft of minerals arrested a truck driver, who was in possession of R15.5 million worth of stolen minerals - Zircon and Chloride - from Richards Bay Minerals (RBM).
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the 44-year-old was arrested after officers followed up on a tip-off regarding a truck loaded with stolen minerals.
The truck was found abandoned at Kwambonambi.
"Further investigation led the team to an address in Durban, where the minerals were found," Mathe said.
More officers were deployed to the region two weeks ago after Police Minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola met with the local business community.
READ | Suspect arrested for murder of Richards Bay Minerals community leader
Mathe said all parties "jointly committed to strengthening working relations", while more police were deployed to prevent and combat acts of criminality related to the mining sector.
"Since the deployment of this task team to Richards Bay [in 2022], 43 people have since been arrested for murder, theft, trespassing, possession of suspected stolen property, unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition, fraud and intimidation," Mathe said.
She added:
Sixty-eight dockets are currently under investigation, 47 of these cases are before various courts, and 202 firearms have been confiscated in the last three years.
News24 previously reported that Judia Mbuyazi, a community leader linked to RBM, was gunned down on 28 July 2020.
Mbuyazi was killed after a meeting addressing several issues, including a stalemate in the KwaMbuyazi community.
The company's general manager, Nico Swart, was shot multiple times on his way to work in May 2021. His death, among others, raised the alarm about the safety of RBM employees.
News24 Business reported that RBM reopened its operations in August 2021 following its closure in June of that year.
NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara was not immediately available to comment on the man's court appearance in the local magistrate's court on Wednesday.
