The Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court has sentenced 45-year-old Makena Mphuthi to five years’ imprisonment for the illegal possession of explosives and gold-bearing material.
The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. Mphuthi was initially arrested in May 2023 during a multidisciplinary operation in the Kanana Township.
According to the Hawks, members of the Klerksdorp-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, in conjunction with the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Illicit Mining Task Team, acted on a tip-off regarding an alleged smelt house in the area.
Upon searching the premises, authorities discovered a full gold milling operation in progress. The team seized one blasting cartridge, four pendukas (containers used in gold smelting), and gold-bearing material with an estimated value of approximately R35,000. Mphuthi was present at the location at the time of the raid and was subsequently apprehended.
He appeared in court on multiple occasions leading up to the conviction. The five-year sentence concludes the legal proceedings stemming from the 2023 operation.