Major General Feroz Khan and Major General Ebrahim Kadwa are expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday following their arrest over allegations linked to the illegal dealing and unlawful possession of precious metals.
The two senior police officers, together with a civilian suspect, were arrested over the weekend following an investigation by Gauteng Counter Intelligence Operations.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the South African Police Service confirmed the arrests and said the suspects are facing allegations related to illicit precious metals transactions, corruption and related offences.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said investigators executed a J50 warrant of arrest as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in the illicit precious minerals trade.
“The arrests form part of ongoing efforts by law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks involved in the illicit trade of precious minerals and corruption,” Mathe said.
The accused are expected to face charges including unlawful dealing in precious metals, corruption, defeating the ends of justice and contravention of legislation regulating precious metals in South Africa.
The arrests have sparked widespread reaction from labour movements and political parties, many of whom said the developments highlighted deep-rooted corruption within law enforcement structures.
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) welcomed the arrests, saying they confirmed long-standing concerns that organised criminal syndicates involved in illegal mining and precious metals trafficking were operating with the support of corrupt officials.
SAFTU general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the illicit economy could not function on such a large scale without cooperation between criminal syndicates, corrupt police officers, smugglers, financiers and international buyers.
The federation argued that illegal mining was not simply driven by undocumented migrant workers underground, but by organised criminal value chains involving buyers, transporters, exporters and corrupt officials higher up the chain.
SAFTU also raised concerns over thousands of abandoned mines across South Africa, saying the failure to seal and rehabilitate mines continued to fuel illegal mining operations.
The federation further referred to previous developments in Stilfontein involving an alleged illegal mining kingpin who reportedly disappeared while under police control, saying incidents of that nature deepened public suspicion about corruption within parts of the criminal justice system.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party also reacted strongly, calling for the immediate suspension of Khan and Kadwa pending the outcome of investigations and court proceedings.
MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela described the arrests as “shocking” and said they exposed “deep-rooted corruption and criminality festering within South Africa’s law enforcement structures”.
The party said allowing implicated individuals to remain in positions of authority could undermine public confidence in law enforcement agencies and compromise the integrity of investigations.
The MK Party further said the arrests appeared to support previous allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi regarding alleged corruption within sections of the police service.
Meanwhile, the Afrika Mayibuye Movement described the arrests as “long overdue” and accused the officers of abusing their positions within the police service for personal enrichment and organised corruption.
The movement called for Khan and Kadwa to be suspended without pay and subjected to comprehensive forensic investigations into their financial affairs, assets and networks.
It further said corrupt elements within law enforcement needed to be removed in order to restore public trust in the police service.
The case comes amid growing national concern over illegal mining and the illicit trade in precious metals, which authorities and labour organisations say has evolved into a sophisticated criminal economy involving local and international syndicates.
SAFTU cited recent estimates suggesting that the illicit precious metals trade in South Africa could be worth as much as R60 billion annually.
The matter is expected to attract significant attention when Khan, Kadwa and their co-accused appear in court on Monday.
