Police officers confiscate mining equipment and gold-bearing material during a joint operation with the SANDF in Kagiso and Selby as part of the ongoing Vala Umgodi crackdown. Image: Supplied.
(The Post News)- The South African Police Service (SAPS) has arrested 275 suspects during last week’s nationwide Operation Vala Umgodi, a crackdown aimed at illicit mining and related criminal activities. The operation, which ran from 14 to 20 October 2024, marks a significant step forward for Vala Umgodi, which was launched in December 2023 to combat illegal mining in South Africa.
Of the total arrests, 47 individuals were apprehended specifically for illegal mining, while the remaining suspects faced charges ranging from murder and attempted murder to the unlawful possession of explosives and suspected stolen property. The operation was most successful in the North West province, where 97 suspects were arrested. In KwaZulu-Natal, 46 suspects were detained, while Mpumalanga saw the arrest of 44 individuals.
During the operations, police seized various illegal items, including 13 unlicensed firearms and 337 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, 12 vehicles, which included sedans, bakkies, trucks, and trailers, were confiscated as part of the efforts to disrupt illegal mining and associated criminal networks.
One of the standout achievements of last week’s operations occurred on 19 October 2024, when a joint intelligence-driven effort between SAPS and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) led to the arrest of seven illegal miners. These suspects were found in possession of gold-bearing material in Kagiso, located in the West Rand, and Selby, Johannesburg. During the operation, mining equipment such as pendukas, gas cylinders, spades, steel balls, and crusher pots, along with bags of gold-bearing material, were confiscated.
In a separate operation on 18 October, five men were arrested in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, in connection with ongoing territorial feuds between the KwaMusi and Onyango villages. These conflicts had led to several murders, and the arrests were made as part of a larger intelligence-led effort to restore order in the area.
Further success was achieved on October 17, when members of the Vala Umgodi team in the Free State province acted on intelligence and arrested a 34-year-old foreign national in Ficksburg. The individual was charged under the Explosives Act for being in possession of blasting cartridges, electronic detonators, boosters, shock tubes, and detonating cords, all of which were confiscated during the operation.
Operation Vala Umgodi, which includes SAPS members from specialized units, operates in collaboration with the Hawks, SANDF, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, the Department of Home Affairs, SARS Customs, and other law enforcement agencies. These multidisciplinary operations are focused on seven key hotspot provinces—Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and North West—where illegal mining is most prevalent.
While the primary goal of Operation Vala Umgodi is to address the illegal mining epidemic, the teams are also actively working to prevent and combat other serious crimes in the areas where the operations are carried out.
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