Operation Vala Umgodi Strikes Again – Foreign Nationals Nabbed in Mining Raids
South African authorities have intensified their fight against illicit mining in the Bojanala Platinum District, leading to the arrest of over 30 individuals and the confiscation of illegal mining equipment.
The sweeping operation, dubbed Operation Vala Umgodi, saw law enforcement teams raiding illegal mining hotspots.
Provincial police spokesperson Captain Mpho Manyoba confirmed that officers swooped in on the Bapong mining site in Mogwase on Thursday, March 20, seizing two excavators and other mining tools left abandoned by fleeing suspects.
NewZimbabwe reports that the crackdown also extended beyond illegal mining.
In Gèelhoutpark, Rustenburg, 10 foreign nationals from Zimbabwe and Malawi were arrested for violating Section 49 (1) (a) of the Immigration Act, 2002.
The suspects are set to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, March 24.
Meanwhile, in Freedom Park near Phokeng, another 12 undocumented individuals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi were apprehended between March 21 and 22.
They are expected to stand before the Bafokeng Magistrate’s Court in Tlhabane.
The arrests didn’t stop there. In Moruleng, Mogwase, police detained nine more undocumented foreign nationals on March 22 and 23, while also seizing illegal mining equipment at Witrandjie mining site.
Additional mining tools, including penduka machines and steel balls, were confiscated from an abandoned site in Schaumburg near Hartbeespoortdam.
Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Patrick Asaneng commended officers for their relentless pursuit of illegal miners, vowing that law enforcement will continue cracking down on those who exploit the country’s resources unlawfully.
