494 illegal miners in court as 24 more emerge from hiding at Sheba Mine in Mpumalanga

As 494 illegal miners who were arrested last week appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Tuesday, a further 24 have surfaced at the Sheba Mine. 

The suspects, who appeared in groups of 50 in the dock, face charges of trespassing, possession of gold-bearing materials, and the contravention of the Immigration Act. 

The arrests stem as a result of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) national Operation Vala Umgodi, which tackles the scourge of illegal mining within the borders of South Africa. 

The suspects, foreign nationals, are from eSwatini and Mozambique and include minors. 

Of the 494 suspects, the court granted 26 suspects with fixed South African addresses R2,000 bail. The others have been remanded in custody. 

The provincial police spokesperson, Donald Mdluli said the illegal miners resurfaced on Monday and this came after police cut off access to their food supply. 

“Twenty-four suspects have been arrested at the same mine where the 494 were arrested. Now, we have about 518 suspects who have since been arrested. The other interesting one is that there is a firearm that has been confiscated from one of the suspects. We are expecting more [to resurface], but that is dependent on the re-planning, re-assessing, and ensuring more resources are brought to ensure they resurface,” Mdluli told the media. 

More illegal miners are expected to surface this week. 

The total number of illegal miners in custody is 518. 

The matter has been postponed until August 11.  

robin.francke@iol.co.za

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