Mpumalanga Police Crack Down on Illegal Mining at Sheba Gold Mine, Approximately 1,000 Arrested
- Operation Vala Umgodi has led to the arrest of approximately 1,000 illegal miners in Mpumalanga
- The South African Police Service (SAPS) believe that there are more miners still underground
- The undocumented foreigners will be charged with the contravention of the Immigration Act
Source: Twitter
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
MPUMALANGA – Police in Mpumalanga have arrested close to 1,000 illegal miners at a mine in Barberton.
According to the South African Police Service, the zama zamas were illegally operating at the Sheba Gold Mine. Most of them are understood to be undocumented foreign nationals.
They were nabbed as part of Operation Vala Umgodi, which is aimed at combating illegal mining activities.
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What will the men be charged with?
According to Provincial Police Spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, the men will be charged with the contravention of the Immigration Act.
Mdhluli also explained that police saw that the mine was operational and realised that there were people illegally mining in the area, which led to the operation being carried out.
“They will be charged for contravention of the Immigration Act and they will also possibly be charged for illegal mining,” he said.
Mdhluli added that police were working closely with other law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal mining activities across the country, through regular operations, visible policing and intelligence-driven interventions. He added that police believe there are more men underground.
The latest incident of illegal miners operating in the country has brought back memories of the Stilfontein saga. Over 2,000 miners were rescued from the mine in the North West, with over 1,000 of them being revealed to be Mozambican. Only 26 of the illegal miners were South African.
The Stilfontein saga garnered local and international attention and didn't just end when the miners were rescued. Police then started searching for James Neo Tshoaeli, the man known as Tiger, who was described as one of the kingpins. Tiger went missing with the help of officers who aided his escape.
How did South Africans react?
Social media users expressed frustration that foreigners were once again involved in criminal activities.
@ngidi_thuli asked:
"Aren't you (the media) getting tired of always reporting about the crime committed by foreigners?"
@KennethPangela questioned:
"Who’s going to feed those guys in prison? Deport all of them."
@OurtenNgomane stated:
"If they are truly committed to combating illegal mining, the police must conduct raids on strongholds in areas such as Umjindini, Louw's Creek and Matsulu."
@Malumz360 claimed:
"Illegal foreigners are really a big problem."
More illegal miners resurface in Mpumalanga
Briefly News reported that more miners resurfaced from the Sheba Gold Mine on 5 August 2025.
The group resurfaced after police arrested over 1,000 illegal miners in Barberton in Mpumalanga.
South Africans were furious after some of the miners arrested were released on bail less than a week after they were nabbed.
Source: Briefly News
