CARLETONVILLE – A suspected illegal mining kingpin was shot and killed during an intelligence-driven police operation in Carletonville on Sunday, 30 August, after allegedly pointing an AK-47 at members of the National Intervention Unit (NIU).

The operation, conducted by the NIU based in Pretoria, forms part of ongoing South African Police Service (SAPS) efforts to dismantle illegal mining syndicates and curb the violence linked to illegal mining in the Carletonville area.

According to police, NIU members traced the wanted suspect to a residence where he was believed to be staying.

When officers arrived, they announced their presence and identified themselves as police. The suspect allegedly responded by pointing an AK-47 assault rifle at the officers.

Police said the members were forced to respond, and the suspect sustained fatal gunshot wounds.

An AK-47 rifle and 125 rounds of AK-47 ammunition were seized at the scene.

Police described the deceased as a known and dangerous illegal mining kingpin who allegedly operated in the Carletonville area. He is also believed to have played a central role in an ongoing conflict between two rival illegal mining groups in the area.

The latest operation forms part of an intensified SAPS crackdown on illegal mining networks and the criminal syndicates operating around abandoned and active mining areas.

Police say the operations are aimed at disrupting organised criminal activity, dismantling illegal mining networks and restoring law and order in communities affected by illegal mining and associated violence.

The SAPS has vowed to continue intelligence-led operations against those involved in illegal mining and related criminal activities.

ALSO READ: Anti-Gang Unit seizes AK-47 rifle in Delft amid ongoing Cape Flats violence crisis