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South African authorities announced on Friday that they have apprehended approximately 1,000 undocumented workers engaged in gold mining activities in the country’s northeast region.
A representative from the Mpumalanga province police disclosed that further arrests may occur since there are still illegal miners present underground.
“As they are coming out, they have been aken,” said the spokesman, Donald Mdhluli.
The police operation, which commenced on Monday, focused on unlicensed mining operations near Barberton village, located near the borders of Eswatini and Mozambique.
Barberton Mines, the owner of the Sheba Mine, issued a statement noting that earlier this year, there was a strong reaction from both the community and workers following retrenchments at Barberton Mines due to the mine’s lack of profitability and impending closure.
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“Food and supplies have been getting to a thriving illegal mining world underground, which had to be stopped, hence this intervention with the police and mine security. This message needs to be spread and illegal mining will not be tolerated,” it added.
The recent arrests follow a similar operation last year near Stilfontein, situated west of Johannesburg, where at least 90 illegal miners lost their lives before the mines were permanently closed in January.
Similar to the operation in Stilfontein, the police in Barberton surrounded the illegal mine to block the entry of supplies, compelling those trapped inside to emerge.
