Four alleged illegal miners have died after a fight broke out at a Mpumalanga mine.

• The bodies of four suspected illegal miners have
  been recovered from a mine shaft.
• The four allegedly died during a fight between
  illegal miners near Graskop over the weekend.
• One person, who is in hospital, has been arrested.

Four suspected illegal miners died after a fight
broke out at a mine in Mpumalanga over the weekend.
The miners’ bodies, which were dumped in a mine
shaft, were retrieved on Wednesday afternoon, police spokesperson Brigadier
Leonard Hlathi said.
The fight broke out on Saturday at the Transvaal
Gold Mining Estates in Dientjie, near Graskop.
One person has been arrested.
Hlathi said:
According to information, a fight broke out between two groups of illegal miners and four men were killed in the process, their bodies dumped in a mine shaft. Another victim was severely assaulted and taken to hospital for medical treatment. Police were then informed about the killings and through their short probe, they were quick to discover that the man in hospital was actually involved in the whole saga.
The man was arrested. He is under police guard in
hospital.
“As soon as he recovers from his injuries, he
will make an appearance before court,” Hlathi said.
Mpumalanga acting police commissioner, Major
General Thulani Phahla, has called for the arrest of the remaining suspects.
“The police have on several occasions warned
people and urged them not to engage in illegal mining activities,” Phahla
said.
“This incident has shown once again the
dangers of unlawful and unauthorised mining, which often put the lives of those
involved at risk.”
Police have urged anyone with information on the
whereabouts of the remaining suspects to contact Detective Warrant Officer Levy
Mashilo at 082 663 3931 or Crime Stop at 08600 10111.