Nearly 500 illegal miners due to appear in Barberton court
The group faces charges of contravening the Immigration Act and trespassing, while others are facing charges of possession of gold-bearing material.
Their arrest follows an intense operation by law enforcement and mine security as part of Operation Vala Umgodi in the province.
The police initially estimated that 1,000 miners had been arrested but later revised that number down by half.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson. Ppho Nonyane-Mpe: "Members of the SAPS, including the team that is working there in collaboration with home affairs officials, are currently busy with the purifying the number in terms of how many will be charged for what type of offence."
Nonyane-Mpe said that an operation was underway to retrieve zama zamas that remained underground.
"The plans in terms of the others that went deep, our members from Vala Umgodi, in collaboration with the mine security and also the Department of Minerals and Energy, will regroup and also esure that we communicate whatever action will be taken following this development."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Panado and R35,000 missing: Edenvale raid leads to arrest of 10 police officers
Ten members from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) are expected to appear in the Germiston Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. Police in Gauteng arrested their colleagues on Monday while they were on duty on charges of theft and corruption. The arrests follow a raid in June. The spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), Lizzy Suping, said the arrested officers were involved in a multi-disciplinary operation by law enforcement initiated by the Premier of Gauteng. 'The accused officers raided a shop at number 7 Hermila Avenue in Edenvale, where they seized cigarettes and took cash amounting to R35,000 and three packs of headache tablets (Panados) to the value of about R5,000. They arrested the cashier for trading in illicit cigarettes and the other employee for violating immigration rules,' Suping said. However, the officers failed to record all items in evidence. 'It is also alleged that the accused officers failed to record all the merchandise seized from the shop at the police station. The shop manager allegedly disputed the quantity and type of merchandise booked in the occurrence book to the Station Commander,' Suping said. Ipid confirmed that of the arrested officers, one has the rank of sergeant while the rest are constables. [email protected] IOL
Eyewitness News
8 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Nearly 500 illegal miners due to appear in Barberton court
JOHANNESBURG - Almost 500 illegal miners brought to the surface from a mine in Barberton in Mpumalanga last Friday are set to appear at the Barberton Magistrate's Court on Monday. The group faces charges of contravening the Immigration Act and trespassing, while others are facing charges of possession of gold-bearing material. Their arrest follows an intense operation by law enforcement and mine security as part of Operation Vala Umgodi in the province. The police initially estimated that 1,000 miners had been arrested but later revised that number down by half. Mpumalanga police spokesperson. Ppho Nonyane-Mpe: "Members of the SAPS, including the team that is working there in collaboration with home affairs officials, are currently busy with the purifying the number in terms of how many will be charged for what type of offence." Nonyane-Mpe said that an operation was underway to retrieve zama zamas that remained underground. "The plans in terms of the others that went deep, our members from Vala Umgodi, in collaboration with the mine security and also the Department of Minerals and Energy, will regroup and also esure that we communicate whatever action will be taken following this development."
Eyewitness News
8 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Mpumalanga police arrest 24 more illegal miners at Sheba Gold Mine
JOHANNESBURG - Mpumalanga police have confirmed the arrest of an additional 24 illegal miners at the Sheba Gold Mine near Barberton. Last week, police arrested close to 500 illegal miners at the same site. They are expected to make their first court appearance on Monday on charges including possession of gold‑bearing material, contravention of the Immigration Act and trespassing. According to provincial police, the 24 newly‑arrested suspects allegedly went deeper underground when officers first uncovered the operation last week. They resurfaced on Monday after spending the entire weekend underground. Police said a firearm was found in the possession of one of the suspects. ALSO READ: - Nearly 500 illegal miners due to appear in Barberton court - Mpumalanga Community Safety MEC welcomes arrests of illegal miners "One thing that we want to indicate is that they are still being processed, and possibly they could be found with other things," said Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Donald Mdhuli. Meanwhile, in court, the nearly 500 accused will appear in two separate courtrooms due to space limitations. Police investigations into illegal mining in the area are ongoing.
