By Everson Luhanga
- JMPD and Hawks busted a secret Booysens refinery used to process gold from illegal mines across Gauteng and nearby provinces.
- City safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku says the bust cuts off a key money source for zama zama cartels as arrests are expected to follow.
Police have uncovered a secret gold refinery in Booysens, shutting down a major illegal-mining operation linked to zama zama cartels.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) K9 unit, working with the Hawks, raided the industrial site early on Tuesday morning.
Inside, officers found equipment used to melt and refine gold mined illegally across Gauteng and neighbouring provinces.
City of Johannesburg safety MMC Dr Mgcini Tshwaku said the operation followed weeks of undercover surveillance and intelligence work.
“This was a key processing hub for zama zama cartels. By targeting refineries like this, we are cutting off the financial lifelines that keep these criminal networks alive,” he said.
JMPD and Hawks investigators spent the morning collecting evidence and dismantling the refinery.
Dr Tshwaku said the city is working with national law enforcement to destroy every part of the illegal-mining chain – from digging to refining and smuggling.
“We are hitting them where it hurts most: their profits,” he said.
The Booysens raid is the latest in a series of police crackdowns on zama zamas this year.
Dozens of suspects have already been arrested for illegal mining, possession of explosives, and damage to city infrastructure.
Tshwaku said more arrests are expected as police trace those behind the refinery.
“This is just the start. We will keep dismantling these criminal networks until our city is safe again,” he said.
Pictured above: pictured above: Some of the equipment found at the illegal gold refinery in Booysens, south of Johannesburg.
Image source: Johannesburg Public Safety
