Hunt for owner of Joburg warehouse after minerals worth R15m found

A search is under way for the owner of a Joburg warehouse where police discovered stolen minerals worth about R15m.

The discovery was made on Wednesday by a police task team deployed to deal with the theft of minerals in the Richards Bay area and to dismantle the syndicate behind it.

Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe explained what happened in the latest bust.

“In the latest recovery, the task team traced Zircon and Chloride minerals at a warehouse in Johannesburg. The minerals were mined from Richards Bay Minerals (RBM, diverted from the Richards Bay Harbour and stored at a warehouse where they were being repackaged to be sold to international buyers.

“It's alleged that this syndicate would transport fake minerals to the harbour and divert the original minerals to Joburg. On Wednesday the team pounced on the warehouse and during a thorough search of the premises found the minerals.”

A case of theft has been opened and no arrests have been made, Mathe said.

She said this was the second discovery by the team. Last month, minerals were found at a warehouse in Durban.

“The driver of the truck and the owner of the warehouse have since been arrested,” she said.

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