Police members assigned to Operation Vala Umgodi in Mpumalanga discovered an illegal makeshift laboratory behind an informal settlement next to the cemetery in Simile, Sabie.

The discovery was made yesterday.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli says the team had been conducting an operation in the area when they came upon a semi-professionally built-up laboratory.

“The laboratory was easily accessible to the community members, including children. The members also found hazardous items lying around the place, including some empty containers of sodium cyanide. They also found that the lab could be utilised by certain individuals or illegal miners to process gold and silver through chemical manufacturing,” he explains.

Mdhluli adds that even though the team focused on fighting illegal mining in the area, a call is being made for community members to report other similar situations they come across.