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Media Statement GAUTENG – The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola says OPERATION VALA UMGODI continues to register commendable progress in dealing decisively with those involved in illicit mining activities across the country. General Masemola has applauded the multidisciplinary teams’ dedication in putting a stop to these illicit mining activities. OPERATION VALA UMGODI is government’s response to prevent, combat and put a stop to illegal mining activities. OPERATION VALA UMGODI currently operates in seven hotspot provinces which includes Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. In the latest success, the team in Gauteng led by the National Intervention Unit (NIU) traced a wanted ILLICIT MINING KINGPIN to Jabulani in Soweto over the weekend. The deceased suspect who is a Lesotho national has been linked to at least twenty-nine illegal mining related murders in Florida and Nomzamo in Soweto where sixteen people were killed at a local tavern. During the tracing operation, the Lesotho national was shot and killed by police after pointing a firearm at police and resisting arrest at his hideout in Soweto. Last week, the multidisciplinary teams in various provinces also registered notable successes which include a tracing operation in which 62 suspects in Limpopo and 9 suspects in the Northern Cape were arrested for their role in illegal mining activities. In April, the same team seized R1 million in cash and a number of illicit mining equipment such as explosive devices and digging equipment was seized from a house used by illegal miners in Carletonville. In the same week in the Northern Cape, seven unlicensed firearms were found hidden in a shoebox at an identified address in Postmasburg. To date, VALA UMGODI teams have arrested more than 4774 suspects for a number of crimes including illicit mining activities. A breakdown of the arrests per province is as follows:
Amongst some of the seized items during operations include:
7130 uncut diamonds worth R32 million rand has also been seized. To date, R4 million in cash has been seized by the teams in all nine provinces. VALA UMGODI was established in December 2023 and is inclusive of SANDF members, the Department of Minerals and Energy (DMRE) and other law enforcement agencies to prevent and combat illicit mining activities in the country. Ends
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