South African police announced on Friday that they had detained approximately 1,000 individuals involved in illegal mining during a recent operation that spanned several days.
According to a police statement, most of those arrested are undocumented foreign nationals, though their specific countries of origin have not yet been confirmed. The arrests took place at a mine located in Barberton, situated in Mpumalanga province.
This latest crackdown is part of an ongoing effort by South African authorities to combat illegal mining activities. In January, nearly 2,000 illegal miners were apprehended at an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein. Among them were 1,128 Mozambicans, 473 Zimbabweans, and 197 individuals from Lesotho.
That same operation drew controversy after at least 78 people died when authorities cut off food and water supplies to those barricaded underground. Human rights groups and activists accused the government of effectively starving the miners in an attempt to force them out.
In August 2024, police halted the delivery of essential supplies to the disused mine in a bid to compel the illegal miners to surface. The government later defended the move, stating that it was a necessary step in tackling organized crime and curbing illicit mining practices.
