Between January 4 and 5, 2025, the Vala Umgodi multidisciplinary task teams carried out operations in Limpopo, leading to the arrest of 14 undocumented foreign nationals and three individuals involved in illegal sand mining.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the 14 foreign nationals, aged between 19 and 45, were arrested for violating the Immigration Act. Four were apprehended in Thohoyandou, Vhembe District, while 10 were arrested in Westernburg, Capricorn District.
Additionally, three suspects, aged 30 to 45, were arrested in Apel, Sekhukhune District, for illegal sand loading. These arrests are part of a broader operation targeting illegal mining activities, including gold-bearing minerals, chrome, and sand extraction, in collaboration with the South African National Defence Force.
In a separate operation, seven individuals were fined for selling expired food in Tynmine, Waterberg District.
The suspects will appear in their respective magistrate’s courts soon.
SAnews reported that the Vala Umgodi operations in the Bojanala Platinum and Dr Kenneth Kaunda Districts continue to yield results, with six male suspects arrested in Hartbeespoortdam in the North West on January 3, 2025. Between December 30, 2024, and January 3, 2025, 12 illegal miners were arrested in Stilfontein for illegal mining, trespassing, and Immigration Act violations.
Over the past three months, more than 1,000 illegal miners, known as zama zamas, have emerged from an abandoned mine in Stilfontein, with many more believed to still be underground.
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