Twenty-eight more illegal miners have emerged from the Sheba Gold Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga, pushing the number of arrests to 546 since last week, with police saying more are expected.
Two men were killed and a third wounded in a targeted shooting at Barbs Industrial Cafe in Barberton, Mpumalanga, allegedly linked to ongoing rivalries over illegal gold mining.
More than 100 unpolished diamonds were seized during three separate Vala Umgodi operations in and around the areas of Kleinzee and Port Nolloth and Northern Cape leading to the arrest of 15 illegal miners
Rescue teams in Roodepoort are racing to save two illegal miners trapped in a collapsed shaft.
Despite being apprehended, police allege that community members and possibly law enforcement officials facilitated his escape before he could be processed.
The EFF, in a statement, characterised his comments as “sadistic and dehumanising,” and accused him of using xenophobic rhetoric to gain electoral support.
The Stilfontein rescue operation on Day Three ended with no survivors found underground, only unidentified remains. Here’s what happened during the mission.
Released on Christmas Day, the letter paints a grim picture of life in the abandoned Stilfontein shafts.
Eskom’s technicians have been working around the clock to expedite repairs, but threats from illegal mining activities in the area have hindered progress.
Authorities estimate that more than 100 miners remain trapped in the abandoned mine shaft.
South Africa’s illicit gold trade is lucrative and controlled by gangs.
Six men were captured as they emerged from one of the abandoned, taking the total of illegal miners arrested in the past 24 hours to 26.
In a statement, North West police confirmed that “of the 17 illegal miners, 14 resurfaced from Margaret Shaft and three at Shaft No. 10.”
The state of the gold bars, irregular in shape, not neatly moulded or standardised like investment-grade gold bullion, suggests they were potentially smuggled from a refinery, or worse, produced by zama zamas (illegal miners).
The court accepted the State’s argument, stating that the responsibility for safety measures lies primarily with Buffelsfontein Gold Mines, the mine owner.
When interviewed, the captured miners painted a different picture of what was allegedly unfolding in the gold mine.
According to reports, a suspect reportedly demanded a 30% cut from the rescue team, tasked with aiding illegal miners believed to be stuck underground.
Zama zamas search for gold in a vast and unmapped underground network of tunnels.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi rejects calls to distribute ARVs to Stilfontein illegal miners without prescriptions.
A handwritten note, believed to be from the miners, surfaced, detailing their urgent need for ARVs and raising concerns about their health.
The ruling requires authorities to reopen access routes at the disused mine to allow emergency services to assist hundreds of illegal miners trapped underground.
The arrest, made during a targeted operation on Thursday, resulted in the seizure of mining equipment valued at R3 million.
One body has been recovered from the Stilfontein mine, where over 4,000 illegal miners remain trapped as government officials stand firm on a non-intervention policy.
According to SAPS and SANDF officials, the trapped miners are now pleading for essential supplies like water and food as their situation becomes dire.
Over 1,000 illegal miners have surfaced from the Stilfontein shaft since SAPS launched its extraction tactic in October.
Eight robberysuspects linked to the notorious ‘zama mamas’ were arrested after a shootout with JMPD officers on the M1 highway.
‘The law enforcement agencies will continue with these operations in the province,’ said the police in a statement.
The SANDF has been deployed alongside SAPS in a major crackdown on illegal mining across South Africa.
Illegal mining in Riverlea continues unabated, despite the intervention of high-level police units aiming to curb the dangerous operations.
