In the past couple of days, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has led a recovery operation in Sabie, Mpumalanga, to rescue illegal miners trapped in an abandoned shaft. Three bodies were retrieved on 4 December, and the operation was temporarily paused to gather additional resources and lighting. At the time of publication, at least ten miners have been rescued alive and arrested. Those who exited the shaft reported over 100 miners still underground. All individuals rescued are facing charges related to illegal mining and immigration violations.
National Commissioner of Police, General Fannie Masemola, visited the scene and noted the operation highlights the grave risks associated with illegal mining, not only to the miners but also to neighbouring communities. Authorities have identified a growing pattern of human trafficking, with many miners claiming they were brought to the site under false pretences of job opportunities and were then held hostage and forced to mine gold illegally. Some of the heavily armed bosses controlling these operations are reportedly keeping the miners underground against their will.
In recent months, police have made significant strides in arresting key figures behind illegal mining operations, Masemola said. In November, two kingpins, Joacham Chivayo, a Zimbabwean national, and Ayanda Gungwa, a South African national, were arrested by the Hawks with R15 million worth of unwrought gold. They have since been charged with contravening the Precious Metals Act. Another kingpin, Loren Louw, was charged with 1,176 counts of money laundering and violating the Precious Metals Act, amounting to R2.6 billion. In September, Gary and Justin Mitchell were arrested for the theft of R20 million worth of illegally mined chrome.
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