South African police have arrested approximately 1,000 undocumented migrants working in gold mines in the northeast of the country, near the village of Barberton, close to the borders of Eswatini and Mozambique.
The arrests were made during a week-long operation that started on Monday, targeting clandestine mining activities.
Police spokesman Donald Mdhluli said further arrests are possible since there are still illegal miners underground. The operation was a joint effort between mine security and the police, with no fatalities recorded so far.
The Sheba Mine, owned by Barberton Mines, had faced criticism earlier this year after retrenching workers due to unprofitability.
However, the company now believes it knows the reason behind the thriving illegal mining activities. “Food and supplies have been getting to a thriving illegal mining world underground, which had to be stopped,” the company stated.
This recent operation follows a similar one near Stilfontein, west of Johannesburg, where at least 90 clandestine miners lost their lives before their mines were shut in January.
