Operation Vala Umgodi sees over 100 arrests of alleged illegal miners in Mpumalanga
The operation was formed late last year in an effort to disrupt illegal mining operations across the country. Mpumalanga has seen the confiscation of illegal mining equipment and the arrests of over 100 people allegedly involved in illegal mining activities.
The national multidisciplinary Operation Vala Umgodi has seen scores of arrests being made across the country and right here in the Lowveld as it makes strides to crack down on the scourge of illegal mining.
Since March 5 this year, the operation has seen just over 100 arrests in Mpumalanga in connection with illegal mining activities. Forty-one of these arrests were made in Barberton, Schoemanskloof and Sabie.
The most recent operation by the Vala Umgodi team saw 15 people suspected of illegal mining arrested in the Schoemanskloof area last Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12. These suspects, seven of whom are Mozambican nationals, three Zimbabwean nationals, one from the Kingdom of eSwatini and four South African citizens, were expected to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday. A query was sent to the Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, about the outcome of the matter, however, no response had been received by the time of going to press.
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According to a provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, during the operation in Schoemanskloof, the team arrested 15 people suspected of illegal mining and also discovered many bags of gold-bearing material. The team confiscated 21 generators, some electric motors, seven jackhammers, nine phendukas and some shovels. The suspects are aged between 18 and 51, and were caught while allegedly conducting illegal mining activities. Mdhluli said the team discovered trenches that had allegedly been dug by the suspects.
Operation Vala Umgodi, which is comprised of various police units and members of the SANDF and is sometimes assisted by various state departments such as home affairs and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, was formed late last year in an effort to disrupt illegal mining operations across the country.
Another provincial police spokesperson, Captain Magonseni Nkosi, said the name ‘Vala Umgodi’ means ‘closing the holes’ in the Nguni languages. He said here in Mpumalanga, various minerals in many of the districts are found to be illegally mined. In the Nkangala District, coal is the primary mineral mined illegally, while in the Gert Sibande District, coal and gold is mined. In the Ehlanzeni District, it is gold and chrome.
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He said while the operation focuses on illegal mining, the team has also made several other arrests for crimes such as possession of stolen property, theft and murder. He said the operation has made over 300 arrests across the province in total, from March 5 to date.
Nkosi added that the operation has also seen the confiscation of 50 trucks, almost 200 phendukas and over 50 generators in Mpumalanga. He said several firearms have also been seized during these operations.
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According to past police press statements, these are some of the arrests and incidents Operation Vala Umgodi has attended to:
• March 10: Two foreign nationals were arrested in Sabie for possession of gold-bearing material. A 32-year-old undocumented person from Mozambique was arrested after he was allegedly found in possession of a plastic bag with suspected gold-bearing material. Another male suspect from Lesotho, aged 41, was also arrested in Sabie for illegal possession of suspected gold-bearing soil.
• March 15: Team members seized suspected illegal mining equipment in the Pilgrim’s Rest area. This included three phendukas, five gas bottles and four electric motors.
• March 15: A 38-year-old suspect was arrested in Barberton for the unlawful possession of mercury. Mercury is often used in the processing of gold.
• March 21: The team confiscated equipment used for illegal mining operations in Sabie. This included a number of phendukas, electric motors, gas bottles and other items, including gold-bearing materials.
• March 29: Nine alleged illegal miners were arrested and 30 generators confiscated in the Schoemanskloof area. Seven of the suspects were arrested on charges of contravention of the Immigration Act of South Africa, as they were found without valid documentation to be in the country, while the other two were nabbed for the alleged possession of gold-bearing materials and suspected illegal mining equipment.
• April 4: Thirty-six phendukas were seized in Sabie, as well as eight gas bottles, five gas regulators and a cutting torch.
• April 7: Thirty phendukas, 10 electric motors and four gas cylinders were recovered from Pilgrim’s Rest.
• April 7: A Mozambican national was arrested in Sabie when a large amount of cash was found hidden in his vehicle. He was suspected of having obtained the money from allegedly illegally trading gold-bearing material.
• April 9: A Zimbabwean national was arrested for allegedly being in possession of illegal mining equipment in Sabie. Additional charges of bribery, assault of a police official and resisting arrest were also laid against him.
• April 11: Eleven suspects, including an official working for the Department of Correctional Services, were arrested for their alleged involvement in illegal mining activities in the Barberton area.
• April 18: A suspicious-looking white single-cab Colt bakkie was intercepted by the police between Mbombela and Sabie. The vehicle was fully loaded with 23 bags of gold-bearing material. All five suspects, two of whom are South Africans and three Zimbabwean nationals, were arrested.
• April 26: The police arrested a suspect with some explosives in the Sabie area.
• April 27: Twenty-eight rounds of live ammunition were found abandoned at an illegal mining site in Pilgrim’s Rest. In addition, 34 phendukas, 45 dagga sachets, 29 bearings, eight fan belts, three electric motors, three gas cylinders and two generators are believed to have been abandoned by the illegal miners.
• May 7: Two Mozambican nationals aged 24 and 46 were arrested in Pilgrim’s Rest. One was arrested for the alleged possession of unlawful explosives and the other for the alleged possession of gold-bearing material.
• May 11: Fifteen alleged illegal miners were arrested in the Schoemanskloof area.
