Operation Vala Umgodi nets 36 suspects in Sabie and Low’s Creek
Most of the suspects were charged with the contravention of the Immigration Act.
Thirty-six people were arrested by members of the SAPS’s Operation Vala Umgodi in Sabie and Low’s Creek on Saturday, April 5.
The police pounced on the Nkanini informal settlement in Simile near Sabie and arrested 23 suspects, aged between 18 and 47. Among them, 20 were illegal immigrants who were charged accordingly.
They also face charges of being in possession of gold-bearing material and illegal mining with the remaining three.
Members of the Combat and Proactive Environment Unit and Phoenix Security were also involved in the operation.
“We were able to confiscate several items including gas cylinders, some gold-bearing material and other illegal mining equipment,” said a police spokesperson, Captain Mpho Nonyane.
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She said these suspects are scheduled to appear in the Sabie Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, April 7.
Meanwhile, 13 other suspects were arrested at a stop-and-search operation along the R38 near Low’s Creek on the same day, Saturday, April 5.
They were all found to be illegal immigrants without legal documentation to be in the country and they were charged with the contravention of the Immigration Act.
This group of suspects is scheduled to appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on April 7.
