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At least 104 people were found to be in South Africa illegally and will be deported.
Picture: South African Police Service (Saps)
The police have arrested more than 100 suspects and seized two trucks in a sweeping crackdown on illegal mining operations in the North West and Limpopo provinces.
The ongoing Operation Vala Umgodi led to the arrest of 104 undocumented foreign nationals in the North West in one week.
The suspects, aged from 18 to 58, were arrested in the Bojanala sub-districts, including the Brits and Rustenburg areas, from 10 to 16 April 2025.
Four of the arrested individuals are women, according to the South African Police Service (Saps).
The suspects hail from various countries, including Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, and Lesotho.
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North West police spokesperson Mpho Manyoba said the arrests began last week Thursday in Tlhatlhaganyane near Sun City, where 20 suspects were detained.
Nineteen of them were illegal immigrants, while one suspect was found in possession of a dangerous weapon.
A 24-year-old man, Ali Hassan, was arrested for employing an undocumented person.
“He paid a fine of R1 500,” the police said in a statement.
Manyoba indicated that police operations continued on 11 April with 13 more illegal foreign nationals being arrested in Marikana West.
A 31-year-old man, Muhammed Monirul Hasan, was fined R6 000 for employing four undocumented workers.
Another 17 undocumented individuals were apprehended in Mogwase Zone 1 on Saturday, 12 April.
A South African citizen, aged 36, was also arrested for possession of a dangerous weapon.
The police returned to Marikana West and Ledig on Sunday, 13 April, where 18 suspects were taken into custody for being in the country illegally.
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A 34-year-old man was arrested and fined R1 000 for driving without a valid drivers licence.
In Phokeng’s Masosobane section, 14 undocumented immigrants were arrested on Monday morning.
Manyoba added that the final arrests in the North West came on Tuesday, 15 April, when 23 suspects were nabbed at a farm in Skeerpoort, Hartbeespoortdam.
A 37-year-old man, Tshepo Kenny Maseko, was fined R4 500 for three counts of employing undocumented individuals in Brits.
The police also confiscated equipment believed to be used in illegal mining, including generators, water pumps, jackhammers, spades, pick-axes, electrical cords and batteries.
All suspects were charged for contraventions of the Immigration Act.
Maynoba indicated that they are being processed through various magistrate’s courts and will be deported back to their countries by the Department of Home Affairs.
Meanwhile, 10 suspects, aged 20 to 42, were arrested for illegal mining and immigration-related offences in Limpopo.
Limpopo police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba said four men were caught red-handed while loading sand into a white Toyota dump truck at Mbekwana village in the Letsitele policing area on Thursday, 17 April.
“They were arrested for illegal mining of sand after failing to produce a mining permit. Police confiscated a truck, shovels and pickaxes,” Ledwaba explained.
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In a separate incident in N’wamitwa Village, two suspects were arrested for unlawfully being in South Africa.
The police further arrested a 41-year-old man for illegally mining sand in Tshivhiliduli village in the Siloam policing area.
A white Hino truck, along with mining tools, was confiscated during his arrest.
Three more suspects were apprehended for immigration violations in Waterpoort.
The suspects are expected to appear in their respective local magistrate’s courts soon.
“Police investigations into the illegal mining networks are still ongoing,” Ledwaba added.
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