According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane, police were conducting a stop-and-search operation on R38 in Barberton when the team apprehended the eight men and arrested them on charges of contravening the Immigration Act as they had failed to provide valid documentation to be in the country. During the operation, a metal detector and mine laboratory equipment were found abandoned.
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Operation Vala Umgodi consists of a multidisciplinary team from different police units tasked with acting against illegal mining.
ALSO READ: Thirty eight suspects nabbed in Sabie and Pilgrim’s Rest during Vala Umgodi operation
