Police say all necessary measures are being taken to maintain law and order in the fight against illegal mining.
Nearly 1 000 illegal miners have been retrieved from an operational mine in the Barberton area in Mpumalanga.
The South African Police Service (Saps) confirmed on Friday that some of the miners had been taken to nearby police stations as more were still being brought to the surface by the afternoon.
Police and mine band together
The crackdown was executed under the banner of Operation Vala Umgodi—a police-led initiative to combat illegal mining in the country.
In collaboration with the mine and mining security, the operation has been active since Monday and is still ongoing.
Provincial police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli said most, if not all, of the illegal miners (also known as zama zamas) were undocumented foreigners.
Arrested miners to be charged
Speaking to the SABC from the scene, Mdhluli said the arrested miners will be charged with the contravention of the Immigration Act and are expected to appear in court within 48 hours.
“We are working in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs to ensure that they are charged accordingly in terms of [being in] contravention of the Immigration Act,” Mdhluli said.
He said they could also possibly face charges of illegal mining.
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Due to an increased number of crime complaints in the area, police will also investigate if any of them are linked to the miners.
Mdhluli said the mine and mining security intercepted the zama zamas’ suppliers, and the lack of resources led them to the surface out of frustration.
Watch the full interview here:
Dismantling illegal mining networks
In a short statement released on social media earlier, Saps said it’s working closely with other law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal mining activities through regular operations, visible policing, and intelligence-driven interventions.
“These efforts aim to dismantle illegal mining networks, protect our natural resources, and ensure the safety of affected communities,” the social media post read.
“All necessary measures are being taken to maintain law and order.”
78 dead and 246 rescued from North West mine
In January, a government-funded rescue mission led by the Mine Rescue Services retrieved 78 bodies and rescued 246 zama zamas from the disused Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, North West.
The illegal miners had been trapped underground for months without food or means to exit the mine.
Among the survivors were 128 Mozambicans, 80 Lesotho nationals, 33 Zimbabweans, and five South Africans.
The rescue effort came as a result of a high court ruling that ordered the government to extract the illegal miners from the mine.
Last year, the government revealed that illegal mining continues to plague South Africa, with losses estimated at more than R70 billion annually in gold alone.
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