S-Africa detains 1,000 unlawful miners

(MENAFN) South African authorities have arrested approximately 1,000 undocumented migrants working in illegal gold mines in the northeastern province of Mpumalanga, police announced Friday. Officials warned that more arrests may follow as miners remain underground.

The week-long operation, which began Monday near the village of Barberton close to Eswatini and Mozambique, was a joint effort between mine security and local police. Police spokesman Donald Mdhluli said that as miners emerged from the clandestine shafts, they were taken into custody, with no fatalities reported so far.

The Sheba Mine, owned by Barberton Mines, explained that earlier layoffs due to unprofitability had sparked community concern. The company said illegal mining had flourished underground, with supplies reaching miners, prompting the coordinated police intervention.

This crackdown comes less than a year after a similar operation near Stilfontein, west of Johannesburg, where at least 90 illegal miners died before the mines were permanently closed. In both cases, authorities blocked supplies to force miners to exit the shafts.

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