New rules imposed on homeowners.
A tunnel leading to a nearby platinum mine was discovered in a family's bedroom after they say a gang took over their home.
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The owner of the house, a 65-year-old man, claims he and his wife were forced to help an illegal gang who wanted easy access to the makeshift mine.
His accomplice, a 31-year-old woman, admitted she knew the house was being used as an entry and exit point for a tunnel that led from the master bedroom to the Khuseleka mine in Rustenburg, South Africa. The mine has some of the largest platinum reserves in the country. The woman told local media: “Two men approached me. One of them was a foreigner and the other spoke a language I didn't understand. They told me that they had been underground for a long time, under my house. They said that I should let them enter their mine through my house. They said that they needed to make money. They said that it was a do or die situation – those were the words they used.”
She said the suspects set strict rules for the family about what they could and could not do in their home. The woman explained: “We lived with these people in a house, and they even set rules for us. My children were not allowed to use their own bathroom. They had to live in their own room, and they had rules set for them too.”
She even claimed that she was ordered never to look at people entering or leaving the house. The couple have been charged with illegal mining, possession of suspected stolen goods and interference with vital infrastructure.
Police spokesperson Amanda Funani explained: “The team received a tip-off and made the arrests. It is believed that the owner of the house, who lives there with his family, either used the hole in the floor of the room himself or allowed others to use it as an entrance to the nearby mine. With the assistance of the mine security team, some of the mine property and other equipment were found in the house.”
Police detained eight more suspects on Friday and Saturday. The 10 accused are expected to appear in court this week.
Funani added: “The suspects decided to stay underground when they tried to evade arrest. They allegedly saw police enter the house they used to break into the Khuseleka mine. They were arrested after they finally decided to come out. Of the 10 suspects arrested, four are South Africans and six are foreign nationals.” The investigation continues.
Recall that earlier, prisoners dug a 10-meter tunnel in the prison. It became known who exactly planned the escape.
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