Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot is said to have betrayed Jesus. For a Barberton pastor, the price was 60 grams of gold-bearing material worth roughly R60 000.

The 40-year-old pastor and a 37-year-old alleged accomplice were arrested in Barberton on Tuesday, February 18, after being found illegally in possession of gold-bearing material (gold ore, concentrate or other material that contains gold and that is of economic value primarily due to its gold contents). The arrests were the result of SAPS members working under Operation Vala Umgodi – meaning ‘plug the hole’ – following up on information that some people were transporting gold-bearing materials along the R38.

A silver SUV matching the description was intercepted and searched. Along with the 60 grams of gold-bearing materials, the police also found a wad of R9 200 in cash. The two suspects were arrested on the spot and charged with the illegal possession of gold-bearing materials while the SUV, cash and materials were confiscated for further investigation.

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Meanwhile, some police officers patrolling the R40 in Barberton and the R38 in Sheba, a settlement northeast of Barberton, arrested two Zimbabwean nationals, aged 25 and 27, who did not have valid documentation to be in the country, and charged them with contravention of the Immigration Act.

It was a busy day for the police as they had also conducted a disruptive operation in Verulam Village, north of Barberton. Here they seized two abandoned gas cylinders – part of the tools understood to commonly be used in illegal mining activities.
The four suspects are expected to appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court soon on their respective charges.

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