More than 400 suspected illegal miners appear in court

Some 480 suspected illegal miners, including four juveniles, appeared before the Barberton Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Monday.

They all face charges of trespassing, theft of gold-bearing materials, and contravention of the Immigration Act.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said the accused were arrested in Barberton Mine on Friday during a joint operation between Sheba Mine, the police and the long-running multidisciplinary operation, Vala Umgodi, aimed at rooting out illegal mining syndicates.

“Twenty-six of the accused were released on R2 000 bail each after consideration that they had no previous convictions, have fixed addresses, and have no pending cases. The court warned them not to commit any offence while on bail.

“The State intends to oppose bail for the accused with previous convictions and pending cases. All other accused were remanded in custody, and the matter was postponed to 11-12 August for verification of addresses and possible bail application,” said Nyuswa.

She added that the NPA remains committed to prosecuting such cases, as illegal mining has a significant negative impact on the economy and society, as well as poses a risk to human health and safety and contributes to environmental degradation.

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