Thirteen illegal foreign nationals are due to appear in the Brits Magistrates Court in the north-west of the country on Monday.
The suspects were arrested during Operation Vala Umgodi last week, September 19 and 20, in Potchefstroom.
According to Colonel Adéle Myburgh, spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the North West, the 13 suspects were arrested for contravening section 49 (1)(a) of the Immigration Act (Act 13 of 2002) in Mooinooi.
Goldilocks stopped
In another incident, police were reportedly called to a local mine shaft on September 19 after mine security reported apprehending illegal miners on level 10 of the Stilfontein gold mine.
“Six illegal miners were found and during the search for the suspects, seven pieces of Almagum (gold) were found hidden in the dreadlocks of one of the suspects,” Myburgh said.
Police were called back to the same pit the next day, where six more illegal miners were discovered on level 14.
Police found a backpack containing more Almagum.
“The 12 suspects from Stilfontein were arrested for contravening section 49 (1)(a) of the Immigration Act (Act 13 of 2002) and for illegal mining and will appear before the local court on Monday,”
According to Myburgh, the provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, thanked the members of the operation for their hard work and continued efforts in combating illicit mining activities.
Three people, including foreign nationals, arrested for illegal mining in Kimberly
In the Northern Cape, three suspects were arrested and charged with possession of illegal mining equipment on 7 September.
According to Northern Cape anti-immigration police spokesperson Sergeant Merapelo Pilane, two of the suspects were later found to be in the country illegally. They were then charged with violating immigration laws.
According to SAPS reports, the multidisciplinary team of Operation Vala Umgodi was patrolling around the illegal mining area of Kleinzee when the arrest was made.
“During checks and searches in the Bontekooi informal settlement, members encountered three men in possession of suspected illegal mining tools,” Pilane said.
The multidisciplinary team of Operation Vala Umgodi continues to crack down on illicit mining activities in Namakwa district.
