40 more arrests over South Africa illegal mining

South African police arrested more than 40 men over suspected illegal mining on Tuesday in Krugersdorp.Authorities in Gauteng province have stepped up their operations against illegal miners in recent days.

The suspects in that case are allegedly illegal miners, but none of those detained on Tuesday have been directly linked to the incident which outraged the Krugersdorp community.Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela said while the 40 men were arrested for their "own deeds", the process of taking DNA samples and fingerprints could help other investigations.Mawela was joined on the operation by a series of police units including a tactical response team, sniffer dogs and a support helicopter.The illegal miners, known as zama-zamas, dig for gold in the Johannesburg area's many closed mine shafts.