Members of the South African Police Service’s National Intervention Unit (NIU) shot and killed a wanted illegal mining suspect in Carletonville, Gauteng, on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said officers went to a residence where the suspect was believed to be staying.

According to Mathe, officers announced their presence and identified themselves as police. The suspect allegedly responded by pointing an AK-47 assault rifle at them, resulting in police firing on him and fatally wounding the suspect.

The rifle and 125 rounds of ammunition were seized at the scene.

Police said the deceased was known as one of the most dangerous illegal mining kingpins operating in the Carletonville area. They alleged that he played a central role in an ongoing conflict between two rival illegal mining groups.

The operation formed part of wider efforts by the NIU and other police units to disrupt illegal mining syndicates and criminal networks linked to violence in the region.

Carletonville lies within Gauteng’s historic gold-mining belt, where abandoned mine shafts have been used by illegal miners known locally as zama zamas.

Police have previously linked illegal mining in the area to organised criminal groups, firearms, extortion, and violence between rival operations.

The latest operation follows several police actions targeting illegal mining and related criminal activity across Gauteng.

Police have not released the identity of the deceased suspect or provided further details about the conflict between the two alleged mining groups.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting will be investigated in accordance with standard procedures governing deaths involving police officers.

The police have urged people with information about illegal mining operations, firearms, or criminal syndicates to report it to law enforcement.