A police task team deployed to combat illegal mining in Mpumalanga arrested 91 suspects during the past week.

This is a part of Operation Vala Umgodi, which translates to English to “close the hole” – referencing the shutting down of illegal mines.

The first breakthrough came on April 3, when 37 suspects were arrested in an opencast mine high in the mountains of Schoemanskloof, Lowelder reports.

Farmers in the picturesque valley have been begging the police for months to act against the illegal miners.

“The mining site is on top of the Mashoboto Hills, which are situated on a farm with the same name,” said Kobus Joubert of Joubert & Seuns, well-known farmers in the area.

The zama zamas had dug deep trenches and holes to reach the gold-bearing material.

According to Joubert, the gold-bearing reef on top of the mountain is very shallow and can be picked up by a metal detector. The opencast mine trenches, which are about one kilometre in length, can clearly be seen from the Schoemanskloof road.

Near the mine is a squatter camp, also called Mashoboto. The site is accessible via a well-maintained dirt road. The farm on which the illegal mining took place belongs to a trust after the trustees had won a land claim.

During the weekend, the task team cracked down on several illegal mining sites.

On Saturday, 10 miners who were digging for gold near a sports field in Embalenhle, Secunda, were arrested. At the same time, 13 miners were arrested in Low’s Creek.

On Sunday, 23 suspects were arrested in Sabie and three more on the Barberton/Kaapmuiden Road near Low’s Creek. The three were each carrying a large bag, which drew the attention of members of the Vala Umgodi task team.

According to a provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, they confiscated a large number of generators, jackhammers, gas bottles, chemicals and bags full of gold-bearing material.

All the suspects appeared in court this week, and the cases were postponed for seven days for further investigation.

The Department of Home Affairs has also joined the investigation, as more than 70 of the suspects are believed to be illegal immigrants.

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