The number of illegal miners arrested at the Sheba Gold Mine Barberton continues to grow.
More miners come up as arrests increase at Sheba Gold Mine Barberton
Police confirmed that 28 more suspects resurfaced this week, raising the total number of arrests to 546 since Friday, 1 August 2025. The suspects are believed to have entered the mine shaft illegally in search of gold.
Police say that while some of those arrested are South African citizens, most are foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, eSwatini (Swaziland), and Lesotho.
The suspects are facing several criminal charges. These include:
- Contravening the Immigration Act (for those without valid permits)
- Trespassing (for entering the mine without permission)
- Possessing gold-bearing material (for having raw gold or soil with traces of gold)
- Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition (in cases where weapons were found)
“Additional charges are laid where individuals are caught with weapons,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli added.
Authorities say some of the suspects were armed when arrested.
Court appearances and bail conditions
Many of the arrested suspects appeared in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 4 August 2025. At least 26 South Africans with confirmed local addresses were granted bail of R2,000 each.
However, most of the foreign nationals were remanded in custody, meaning they will remain in jail until their next court appearance. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Monica Nyuswa said it would be difficult to release many of the accused due to their foreign status and lack of fixed addresses.
The case has been postponed to next Monday, and the accused remain under tight security.
The arrests form part of Operation Vala Umgodi, a national effort by law enforcement to crack down on illegal mining, which is causing serious damage to the economy and environment.
Although the mine operators have denied that more people are still underground, police insist that searches will continue, and more arrests are expected in the coming days.
Mdhluli confirmed that four of the arrested suspects were juveniles, and their cases will be handled under the Child Justice Act, a legal framework that prioritises rehabilitation over punishment for minors.
The recent police raid is being called one of the biggest busts in South African illegal mining history, showing how widespread and organised these underground operations have become.