In the most recent operation against illicit mining in the nation, South African security forces detained dozens of people on Thursday. After shacks were examined, mining equipment was seized as part of the joint military and police operation in the Soul City colony near Kagiso, west of Johannesburg, according to AFP.
Reporters were informed by Gauteng’s provincial Police Commissioner Elias Mawela that more than 70 individuals—the bulk of whom were undocumented migrants—had been held for two days in the vicinity of closed gold mines.
According to Mawela, other people were detained for possessing illegal firearms and distributing drugs.
In reaction to the nation’s high murder rate and widespread criminality, Pretoria initiated Operation Shanela in May, just before the election of the following year. Security forces can use the mission to carry out regular searches, set up roadblocks, patrol in high visibility, and track down wanted individuals, with a specific focus on rape and murder suspects.
At a ceremony held on Thursday in Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape Province of the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that over 250,000 people had been arrested since the start of the operation.
According to Ramaphosa, police have also found over 1,700 stolen cars and seized over 3,200 guns.
“Criminals have besieged our nation. Crime is wrecking lives and tearing families apart, causing havoc on communities. The president declared, “Crime is destroying our economy, hurting both small and large businesses, and impeding a sustainable economic recovery.”
“We’ve had enough of crime. We have had enough of crooks getting away with murder. We have had enough of the violence and abuse aimed at women, children, and other weaker groups,” he continued.
For more than 20 years, the output of the mining industry has been declining in South Africa, one of the top producers of gold in the world. Authorities argue that thousands of illegal miners are partially to blame for the decline, as their operations annoy mining companies and are perceived by the community as a source of criminal activity.
In July, nitrate gas poisoning claimed the lives of at least 17 people in Boksburg, South Africa’s unofficial Angelo colony. Authorities connected the disaster to illicit gold mining operations in the region.
President Ramaphosa gave the go-ahead for the deployment of 3,300 soldiers last month to assist police in combating illegal mining and other offences.
