By BAKANG MOKOTO
4 September 2025 – Nine suspects including a woman (54), believed to be a mine operator, her son (20) and six others believed to be her security enforcers from KwaZulu-Natal are expected to appear in the Mogwase Magistrate’s Court on 4 September 2025, on charges of kidnapping, murder, assault, malicious damage to property and attempted murder.
The eight suspects were arrested on 2 and 3 September 2025, by a multidisciplinary Investigation Team comprised of Provincial Murder and Robbery, Crime Intelligence, Tactical Response Team (TRT) and Sun City Detectives, which was established by the acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng following the killing of five men at an open cast mine in Tlhatlaganyane on 2 September 2025.
The North West police spokesperson, Colonel Adele Myburgh said the suspects’ charges relate to the case of kidnapping and murder that was reported to the police in Sun City on 17 July 2025, where a victim was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to take the suspects to a person they were looking for, who was eventually shot and killed.
Myburgh said out of nine suspects, two were positively linked with another case opened in Sun City on 14 August 2025, and they will face additional charges of malicious damage to property, kidnapping, assault and attempted murder.
“The police investigations are ongoing and there are possibilities for more arrests, including further charges against the suspects,” she said.
In reacting to the arrests, Asaneng said: “It is through the excellent and expeditious work by the multi-disciplinary team that was tasked to investigate circumstances that led to the killing of the five men at a chrome mining site in Tlhatlaganyane that has led to the arrest of these suspects and it is hoped that their arrest will help bring some semblance of stability and normalcy in the highly contested and violent and crime ridden chrome mining sector in that area, especially because they are linked to previously reported cases that were reported to the police in that area.
“These arrests should send a stern warning to others who are still engaged in illegal mining and brazen lawlessness that they will soon face the full might of the law.”
The Guardian 