Fifteen people are expected to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court today, May 13, following alleged illegal mining activities in the Schoemanskloof area.
Operation Vala Umgodi, which is a multidisciplinary team of various police units, joined by members of the Department of Home Affairs, focused its attention on a farm in the Schoemanskloof area over the weekend, May 11 and 12, in an effort to crack down on illegal mining.
According to a provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the operation led to the arrests of 15 alleged illegal miners, the discovery of many bags of gold-bearing material and the confiscation of 21 generators, electric motors, seven jackhammers, nine phendukas and some shovels.
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The suspects are aged between 18 and 51 and were caught while allegedly conducting illegal mining activities. Mdhluli said the team discovered trenches that had allegedly been dug by the suspects.
Among the suspects, seven are Mozambican nationals, three are Zimbabwean nationals, one is from the Kingdom of eSwatini and four are South African citizens.
The arrested foreign nationals were also charged for contravention of the Immigration Act of South Africa after it had been established they were not in the possession of valid documentation to be in the country.
