A suspected illegal miner was shot and wounded during a shoutout with the Johannesburg metro police in Primrose, Germiston on the East Rand.
Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said officers responded to reports about motorists robbed by armed individuals near the Crown interchange at the M1 in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning during a traffic jam.
Officers followed up on a complaint and established that armed illegal miners – better known as “Zama Zamas” – were robbing motorists at the intersection of Main Reef Road and Shamrock Street.
“As the officers arrived at the given location, they saw two groups of males shooting at each other,” said Superintendent Fihla.
“When the suspects noticed the officers they started shooting at them and the officers returned fire.
“Amid the shootout, the officers saw a suspect fall to the ground, and backup was called.”
Superintendent Fihla said when the backup from the South African Police Service (SAPS) Primrose, the Flying Squad, and the Airwing arrived, the law enforcers entered the open veld, where they found one male lying on the ground with a wound and a rifle next to him.
Paramedics attended to the injured man who was taken to Germiston Hospital for further treatment under police guard.
Superintendent Fihla said seven other suspects were arrested.
“All the arrested suspects consisting of South African and Lesotho nationals were detained at Primrose SAPS and charged with attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms, and illegal mining,” he said.
