{"id":263780,"date":"2025-06-13T12:45:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T10:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?p=263780"},"modified":"2025-06-13T12:45:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T10:45:07","slug":"illicit-gold-uncovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/","title":{"rendered":"illicit gold uncovered"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the latest sting to eradicate illicit mining activities in the Free State, gold nuggets weighing 10,50g and more than 25kg of gold-bearing material was seized in Putswastene, Thabong.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The multifaceted Operation Vala uMgodi continues to make good progress,&#8221; says Lt Col. Thabo Covane , spokesperson for the Free State police.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Friday, 16 May, the operatives received a tip-off from the community about illicit mining activities in Thabong.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Observations and reconnaissance was held at the identified house, and thorough planing done. When the team entered the house, they found three gold nuggets and gold-bearing material,&#8221; says Covane.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gold-processing equipment was seized and the 36-year-old suspect was placed under arrest. A case docket of possession of unwrought precious metals, possession of suspected gold-bearing material and gold-processing equipment was opened at the Thabong Police Station.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;The collaborative efforts to eradicate illegal mining between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and private security companies continue to bear good results&#8221;<\/strong><\/p><cite>&#8211; Lt Col. Thabo Covane<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The collaborative efforts to eradicate illegal mining between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and private security companies continue to bear good results,&#8221; says Covane.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Five gold-bearing amalgam nuggets were brought to the surface by the Specialised Security Group (SSG) Tactical Underground Team. The team also recovered contraband foodstuffs such as energy powder, spices, vegetable oil, corned meat, soya mince, powdered milk, soya mince, and instant porridge. Explosive detonators, a welding machine, and rods were also recovered from a plant where illegal underground miners were operating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"991\" data-attachment-id=\"263948\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/goldamalgam_92775-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Goldamalgam_92775-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,991\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Goldamalgam_92775\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Goldamalgam_92775-1-1024x846.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Goldamalgam_92775-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-263948\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Goldamalgam_92775-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Goldamalgam_92775-1-300x248.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Goldamalgam_92775-1-768x634.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Goldamalgam_92775-1-1024x846.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gold amalgam weighing more than 26kg was found in Putswe-stene, Thabong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five gold-bearing amalgam nuggets were brought to the surface by the Specialised Security Group (SSG) Tactical Underground Team. The team also recovered contraband foodstuffs such as energy powder, spices, vegetable oil, corned meat, soya mince, powdered milk, soya mince, and instant porridge. Explosive detonators, a welding machine, and rods were also recovered from a plant where illegal underground miners were operating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":263781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"2025-06-12","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"7970","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Gold nuggets weighing more than 10 grams were found in Putswa-stene, Thabong","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"Marti","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"illicit gold uncovered","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["vin GOLD_P1","vin GOLD_P2"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7970],"tags":[7911,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-263780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-crime","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>illicit gold uncovered | Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"illicit gold uncovered\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Five gold-bearing amalgam nuggets were brought to the surface by the Specialised Security Group (SSG) Tactical Underground Team. The team also recovered contraband foodstuffs such as energy powder, spices, vegetable oil, corned meat, soya mince, powdered milk, soya mince, and instant porridge. Explosive detonators, a welding machine, and rods were also recovered from a plant where illegal underground miners were operating.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-13T10:45:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-13T10:45:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goldnugget_88264.jpg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Vista\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe\"},\"headline\":\"illicit gold uncovered\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-13T10:45:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T10:45:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":260,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/goldnugget_88264.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Crime\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/\",\"name\":\"illicit gold uncovered | Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/goldnugget_88264.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-13T10:45:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T10:45:07+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/goldnugget_88264.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/goldnugget_88264.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1600,\"caption\":\"Gold nuggets weighing more than 10 grams were found in Putswa-stene, Thabong\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/illicit-gold-uncovered\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"illicit gold uncovered\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Vista News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VistaNewsNuus\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vistanewspaper\"],\"description\":\"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\\\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.\",\"email\":\"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27573571304\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe\",\"name\":\"Vista\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Vista\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/author\\\/vista\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"illicit gold uncovered | Vista","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"illicit gold uncovered","og_description":"Five gold-bearing amalgam nuggets were brought to the surface by the Specialised Security Group (SSG) Tactical Underground Team. The team also recovered contraband foodstuffs such as energy powder, spices, vegetable oil, corned meat, soya mince, powdered milk, soya mince, and instant porridge. Explosive detonators, a welding machine, and rods were also recovered from a plant where illegal underground miners were operating.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/","og_site_name":"Vista","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","article_published_time":"2025-06-13T10:45:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-13T10:45:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goldnugget_88264.jpg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Vista","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vista","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/"},"author":{"name":"Vista","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe"},"headline":"illicit gold uncovered","datePublished":"2025-06-13T10:45:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T10:45:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/"},"wordCount":260,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goldnugget_88264.jpg","keywords":["Crime","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/","name":"illicit gold uncovered | Vista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goldnugget_88264.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-13T10:45:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T10:45:07+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goldnugget_88264.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goldnugget_88264.jpg","width":1200,"height":1600,"caption":"Gold nuggets weighing more than 10 grams were found in Putswa-stene, Thabong"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-gold-uncovered\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"illicit gold uncovered"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","name":"Vista News","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization","name":"Vista News","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Vista News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vistanewspaper"],"description":"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.","email":"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27573571304","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/21061a6ffd102003447c400f78cc5bfe","name":"Vista","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9314f07ac8cd90ba9f9b01f9bc9c51ab642163d2b4e145dce575ce1d9f0cce5f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Vista"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/author\/vista\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/goldnugget_88264.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59744,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/vala-umgodi-hits-hard-in-the-goldfields\/","url_meta":{"origin":263780,"position":0},"title":"Vala uMgodi hits hard in the Goldfields","author":"Marti Will","date":"17 March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Intensive operations under the auspices of Vala uMgodi have resulted in the arrest 28 men on charges ranging from dealing in drugs, illegal firearms and ammunition to illicit mining.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pictured are Vala uMgodi combat team operators digging up sewerage-soaked mud to retrieve gold processing equipment.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gOLDsewage_36117.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gOLDsewage_36117.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gOLDsewage_36117.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gOLDsewage_36117.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gOLDsewage_36117.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79027,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/disruptive-action-against-illicit-mining-yields-success\/","url_meta":{"origin":263780,"position":1},"title":"Disruptive action against illicit mining yields success","author":"Marti Will","date":"2 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Five foreign nationals have been arrested on charges related to illicit mining during Vala uMgodi operations in the Goldfields. On Tuesday 29 April, combat and proactive operators, supported by drone pilots, intensified disruptive policing actions. This is some of the gold processing equipment confiscated by Operation Vala uMgodi operators in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Covane1_95179-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Covane1_95179-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Covane1_95179-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Covane1_95179-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Covane1_95179-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77808,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/operation-vala-umgodi-continues-with-disruptive-actions-at-illicit-mining-hotspots\/","url_meta":{"origin":263780,"position":2},"title":"Operation Vala uMgodi continues with disruptive actions at illicit mining hotspots","author":"Marti Will","date":"31 March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Four Illegal miners were arrested during bush patrols at the Tetra Plant Station area in Beatrix Mine.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Operation Vala uMgodi operators confiscated equipments used in the illegal mining process","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vala-uMgodi-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vala-uMgodi-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vala-uMgodi-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vala-uMgodi-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":76558,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/disruptive-actions-against-illicit-mining-activities-in-matjhabeng-free-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":263780,"position":3},"title":"Disruptive actions against illicit mining activities in Matjhabeng, Free State","author":"Marti Will","date":"24 March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Five men have been arrested by Operation Vala uMgodi operatives where they were busy with either open cast mining activities or with the separation process on a makeshift slope table in identified illicit mining hotspots. Joint Operational roleplayers and stakeholders conducted foot, vehicles and air-to-ground to ground drone patrols in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Various brands of illicit cigarettes confiscated by Operation Vala\u00a0uMgodi\u00a0team","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/VALA1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/VALA1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/VALA1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/VALA1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/VALA1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/VALA1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78809,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/illicit-mining-pulled-apart\/","url_meta":{"origin":263780,"position":4},"title":"Illicit mining pulled apart","author":"Marti Will","date":"24 April 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Five suspects were arrested for illegal mining activities. The police confiscated four 19kg oxygen cylinders, three 9kg gas bottles, green-red-brown connector pipes, cutting torches and nozzles, steel plates, a galvanised steel drum, strainers and crucible pots.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/goldbead_13332.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/goldbead_13332.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/goldbead_13332.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/goldbead_13332.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/goldbead_13332.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Vista","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263780"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=263780"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=263780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}