Nearly 30 Illegal Miners Emerge From Sheba Gold Mine in Mpumalanga

• More miners have resurfaced from the Sheba Gold Mine in Barberton in Mpumalanga on 5 August 2025
• This was after the South African Police Service arrested 1000 illegal gold miners at the mine on 1 August
• South Africans were furious after some of the miners arrested were released on bail less than a week after their arrest

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

BARBERTON, MPUMALANGA — More illegal miners have resurfaced from the Sheba Gold Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga, on 5 August 2025. This was after South African Police Service members arrested 24 illegal miners at the site the previous day.

The miners resurfaced from the Sheba Gold Mine, where the police arrested close to 1000 illegal miners on 1 August. More than 500 miners appeared before the Barberton Magistrates' Court on 4 August. Two more miners surfaced during the day, and one of them reportedly suffered an arm injury. It is believed that more are hidden underground in tunnels that stretch for kilometres as authorities continue to search for them.

Read also

North West pupil dies after being made to run for missing class

According to Eyewitness News, the mine said that it blocked every supply route that illegal miners used to access the mines. However, the mine's expansive network of tunnels and shafts presented a challenge, making it extremely difficult to seal them off completely.

Illegal mining in South Africa

In 2024, more than 1000 illegal miners who were trapped in the Stilfontein Mine in the North West resurfaced after weeks of being trapped underground. The illegal miners alleged that James Neo Tshoaheli, also known as Tiger, was the ringleader of the illegal miners and was allegedly responsible for some of the deaths.

The South African Police Service launched a manhunt for Tiger in January 2025 after he escaped from custody. He resurfaced in early January and was arrested. The police mobilised maximum resources to hunt him down.

The police's investigation zeroed in on officers who were on duty when Tiger escaped. The North West's Major-General Patrick Asaneng said that members of the police force may have been involved in his disappearance. He revealed that Tiger tortured and withheld food from illegal miners and was separated from those who resurfaced to be taken to prison. However, he escaped.

Read also

New charges added to the sheet of Eldorado Park man accused of killing his 4 year-old daughter

However, the police arrested for officers for aiding and abetting his escape. They appeared before the Stilfontein Magistrates Court on 31 January 2025 after they were arrested. The officers, who were part of Operation Vala Umgodi, were charged with defeating the ends of justice and aiding and abetting.

Approximately 1000 miners arrested

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Mpumalanga police arrested approximately 1000 illegal miners at the Sheba Gold Mine. The police suspected that there were more illegal miners underground.

The arrests were part of Operation Vala Umgodi, and they were charged with contravening the Immigration Act. They could also be charged for illegal mining.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News