South African police crack down on illegal mining after deadly tavern shooting

South African police on Tuesday arrested more than 100 suspects allegedly linked to illegal mining syndicates believed to be connected to a recent deadly tavern shooting in Gauteng province.



The sweeping security operation has intensified scrutiny of the escalating violence, access to heavy weaponry and gang-related criminal activity associated with illegal mining networks operating across the country.



The arrests followed a deadly attack on Saturday night in Wedela, a township near the gold-mining hub of Carletonville, about 80 km southwest of Johannesburg. Eighteen people were killed after heavily armed gunmen stormed a local tavern at around 9:30 p.m. local time and opened fire on patrons.



Police suspect the incident was a targeted retaliatory attack linked to territorial rivalries between illegal mining syndicates, following a similar shooting at the same tavern last month.



In an immediate response to the security threat, Gauteng police announced on Tuesday that multi-agency security forces arrested 121 suspected illegal miners and seized five firearms, including an AK-47 assault rifle and three handguns, along with gas cylinders, gold-bearing material and specialized extraction equipment during a joint sweep dubbed "Operation Prosper."



A spokesperson for the South African Police Service in Gauteng, told Xinhua that a joint task force comprising police, specialized tactical response teams and the South African National Defense Force has been deployed in high-risk mining districts since March.