Read more
The authorities arrested 1 826 illegal miners who had surfaced from the abandoned mine.
A South African Police Services (Saps) vehicle is parked near the mine shaft in Stilfontein on 17 November 2024. Picture: Phill Magakoe / AFP
The South African government spent just over R30 million retrieving suspects involved in illegal mining at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein, North West.
This was part of Operation Vala Umgodi, which was launched in August last year to combat illegal mining across the country.
The Stilfontein mine became a focal point as the government, through Mine Safety Rescue Services (MSR), was compelled to intervene and rescue illegal miners who remained underground.
Although the rescue mission concluded earlier this year, Operation Vala Umgodi is set to continue in May.
Briefing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Minerals and Petroleum Resources and Police in a joint meeting on Tuesday, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola stressed that illegal mining remains a significant issue across several provinces, including Free State, Gauteng, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Masemola highlighted that most individuals involved in illegal mining are foreign nationals from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Acting North West Police Commissioner Patrick Asaneng provided details on the extensive law enforcement efforts at Stilfontein.
ALSO READ: Will the scourge of illegal mining continue to plague SA in 2025?
He revealed that the operation involved 944 police officers, with R23 million allocated for their deployment and an additional R9.8 million spent on overtime.
“There were instances on many occasions where members had to work more than their prescribed hours of duty to be able to conduct this operation,” Asaneng told MPs on Tuesday.
During the operation, authorities arrested 1 826 illegal miners who had surfaced from the abandoned mine.
The arrested individuals included 1 128 Mozambicans, 473 Zimbabweans, 26 South Africans, 197 miners from Lesotho, one Malawian, and one Congolese national.
Additionally, over 90 bodies were retrieved, though only eight were identified.
The identified individuals were all foreign nationals, consisting of three from Mozambique, three from Lesotho, and two from Zimbabwe.
“When the mine rescue plan was started, there were allegations that there are more than 300 bodies underground which could not be brought to the surface, and then, contrary to that, when the mine rescue plan came, they only brought the few, bringing the total to 93,” the provincial police commissioner added.
Asaneng further indicated that police had confiscated gold and gold-bearing material worth R52.49 million, along with cash found at the scene.
Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe revealed that South Africa has 6 100 derelict and ownerless mines, which serve as hotspots for illegal mining and related crimes.
In the North West province alone, there are approximately 1 041 such mines.
However, he clarified that the Stilfontein mine is not among them, as it has a legally recognised owner.
Mantashe pointed out that more than 70% of the mine is owned by Chinese stakeholders.
READ MORE: Illegal mining: Government accused of double standards after billionaire’s mine ‘implicated’
Initially, locating the owners proved difficult, according to the minister.
“We found them, ultimately, and we didn’t struggle to find them because they are not available. We started to find them because they were running away.
“We had to trace them right into China. So, it’s not an ownerless and derelict mine; it is a mine operated by a company,” Mantashe said.
He also confirmed that his department will engage with the Minerals Council South Africa to address illegal mining.
Meanwhile, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu assured Parliament that investigations are ongoing to identify those who financially benefit from illegal mining.
“We’re very much interested in that, and those matters are under investigation. We need to get to the bottom of it all,” Mchunu said.
Law enforcement are also probing the potential involvement of law enforcement officials in the escape of illegal mining kingpin James “Tiger” Tsoaeli during the rescue mission.
Four police officers, accused of aiding his escape, have already appeared in court twice.
They were released on R1 000 bail, with their case scheduled to resume on 29 May.
Commenting on their alleged role in the escape, Mchunu remarked, “I suppose they were subdued by money.”
NOW READ: Stilfontein: North West police believe illegal mining kingpin ‘Tiger’ is not dead
Download our app