Vehicles worth R930,000 have been forfeited to the state after a high court ruling linked them to an alleged illegal gold-smuggling operation run from Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
The Mombela high court in Mpumalanga on Wednesday granted the forfeiture order after a Hawks financial investigation linked the assets to illegal gold dealings dating back to 2021.
Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation spokesperson Thandi Tshabalala said investigators had received information that individuals were buying gold from illegal miners, known as zama zamas, and selling it to black-market buyers in Gauteng.