A tunnel leading to a nearby platinum mine has been discovered in a family’s bedroom.
The homeowner, a 65-year-old man, claimed he and his wife were forced to help an illegal gang who wanted easy access to the makeshift mineshaft.
His accomplice, a 31-year-old woman, admitted she knew the home was being used as the entry and exit point for the tunnel.
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The shaft led from the main bedroom to the Khuseleka mine in Rustenburg, South Africa.
The mine has one of the largest platinum reserves in the country.
The woman told local media: “Two men approached me.
“One of the two men was a foreign national and the other spoke a language I did not understand.
“They told me that they had been underground, under my house for a long time.
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“They told me that I had to allow them to enter their shaft through my house.
“They said they needed to make money.
“They said it’s a do or die situation – those are the words they used.”
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She said the suspects gave the family strict rules for what they could and couldn’t do in their own home.
The woman explained: “We have lived with these people in the house and they even gave us rules.
“My children were not allowed to use their bathroom.
“They had to live in their room and they were also given rules.”
She even claimed that she was instructed to never look at the people entering and leaving the house.
The pair are facing charges of illegal mining, possession of suspected stolen goods, and tampering with essential infrastructure.
Police spokesperson Amanda Funani explained: “The team received a tip-off and made the arrests.
“The homeowner, who lives with his family at the house, is believed to have either used the hole in the room’s floor, or allowed others to use it, as an entrance to the nearby mine shaft.
“With the assistance of the mine security team, some of the mine property and other equipment were found inside the house.”
The police detained eight other suspects on Friday and Saturday.
The 10 defendants are expected to appear in court this week, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Funani said: “The suspects decided to stay underground when they were trying to evade arrest.
“It is alleged they saw the police coming in a house that they used to enter the Khuseleka mine.
“They were arrested after they decided to finally come out.
“Out of the 10 arrested suspects, four are South Africans and six are foreign nationals.”
The investigation continues.
