A total of 22 illegal immigrants were arrested in the Mopani and Vhembe districts this week as part of the comprehensive Operation Vala Umgodie.
According to police, immigration officers from the department of home affairs have been engaged to facilitate their immediate deportation to their respective countries.
Police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said in a collaborative effort between the military and police under Operation Vala Umgodi, two male suspects aged 29 and 30 were also arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities at Ga-Maroga village outside Burgersfort in the Sekhukhune district.
“Police were conducting a disruptive Operation Vala Umgodi at Ga-Maroga village when they arrived at an illegal mining site where the suspects were busy mining. The suspects attempted to evade arrest. Despite their efforts to escape, police arrested the two suspects,” he said.
Ledwaba said substantial quantities of mining equipment were seized at the crime scene.
“The confiscated items included a power generator, jackhammers, welding machines, grinders, drilling bits, shovels, measuring tapes, and electrical cables,” he said.
On the same day, Ledwaba said members of border policing stationed at Beitbridge intercepted a homemade wooden ferry suspected to be used for smuggling people and counterfeit goods across the Limpopo River.
“A large amount of alcohol, worth thousands and intended for illegal transportation across the river, was seized. The suspects, believed to be Zimbabwean nationals, managed to evade capture by fleeing across the river.”
TimesLIVE
Border smuggling, zama zamas foiled during Operation Vala Umgodi
Image: Supplied
A total of 22 illegal immigrants were arrested in the Mopani and Vhembe districts this week as part of the comprehensive Operation Vala Umgodie.
According to police, immigration officers from the department of home affairs have been engaged to facilitate their immediate deportation to their respective countries.
Police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said in a collaborative effort between the military and police under Operation Vala Umgodi, two male suspects aged 29 and 30 were also arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities at Ga-Maroga village outside Burgersfort in the Sekhukhune district.
“Police were conducting a disruptive Operation Vala Umgodi at Ga-Maroga village when they arrived at an illegal mining site where the suspects were busy mining. The suspects attempted to evade arrest. Despite their efforts to escape, police arrested the two suspects,” he said.
Ledwaba said substantial quantities of mining equipment were seized at the crime scene.
“The confiscated items included a power generator, jackhammers, welding machines, grinders, drilling bits, shovels, measuring tapes, and electrical cables,” he said.
On the same day, Ledwaba said members of border policing stationed at Beitbridge intercepted a homemade wooden ferry suspected to be used for smuggling people and counterfeit goods across the Limpopo River.
“A large amount of alcohol, worth thousands and intended for illegal transportation across the river, was seized. The suspects, believed to be Zimbabwean nationals, managed to evade capture by fleeing across the river.”
TimesLIVE
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