Police in eMalahleni arrested 12 illegal immigrants during a stop-and-search operation on the N4 on Wednesday.

The arrests formed part of the city’s active initiative, Operation Vala Umgodi.

The operation aims to combat illegal mining activities and related criminal activities, ensuring safety and security across affected provinces in South Africa.

According to the police, the concerning number of illegal immigrants has again sparked concerns as Witbank Police Station had reported more than 21 arrests of undocumented immigrants in the past seven days, who were in connection with different crime offences.

“As we had previously mentioned, except for the contravention of the Immigration Act of South Africa, we also find some of them guilty of different crime offences, even outside eMalahleni,” said Witbank Police spokesperson, Captain Eddie Hall.

The suspects appeared at the Witbank Magistrate’s Court yesterday, on charges of the Contravention of the Immigration Act of South Africa.

“The suspects were charged accordingly,” said Hall.

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