NELSPRUIT – Seven suspects, aged between 15 and 43, were arrested on Saturday, 20 September 2025, by multidisciplinary teams deployed under Operation Vala Umgodi in Mpumalanga.
The suspects were apprehended during disruptive operations conducted in the Pilgrim’s Rest area. Six were arrested after being found without valid documentation to be in South Africa, while one was fined for contravening the Immigration Act relating to the employment of undocumented persons.
During the operation, police also discovered abandoned illicit mining equipment, including phendukas, motors, gas cylinders, wheelbarrows, and oxygen cylinders.
The arrested suspects were charged with contravening the Immigration Act and are expected to appear before the Pilgrim’s Rest Periodical Court on Monday, 22 September 2025.
