The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) has played down the recent arrests of over 400 illegal miners at the Sheba Mine in Barberton as performative justice, saying that the real masterminds were left to roam free whilst the focus iwas on poor Black workers trying to make a living for themselves.

 MACUA spokesperson Tholakele Thabane said on Tuesday that the arrests captured the real picture of the ongoing failure by the South African law enforcement agencies to confront the real architecture of illegal mining.

“Over 400 arrests have taken place this last week alone. As has become the norm, those arrested are overwhelmingly poor Black workers, many of them migrants, forced into informal mining by economic desperation and exclusion from the formal economy,” he said.

“These arrests are presented as victories, with police parading mining tools, shovels and makeshift explosives as evidence of ‘progress’ in the fight against syndicates.”

This comes after a police-led raid through Operation Vala Mgodi was conducted at the Barberton mine on Friday, where the illegal miners were smoked out and subsequently taken to custody by the Mpumalanga police officials.

According to reports, the majority of them were undocumented foreign nationals.

Thabane alleges that the mass arrests were a smokescreen to create an illusion of law enforcement while presenting no substantial solution to the problem. Illegal mining syndicate used the poor to facilitate it, and the rich financed it under protection by the powerful.

“But let us be clear: after nearly three years of Operation Vala Umgodi, launch in December 2022, no high-level syndicate bosses have been arrested, no corporate directors have been charged, and no elite political or financial figures have been held accountable,” Thabane added.

“Hundreds of millions of rands have been spent, and all the state has to show for it are the bodies of almost 100 miners who they starved to death and images of shackled miners, not the dismantling of syndicates.”

Macua is demanding Parliamentary hearings where it will be invited to present its full submission in the presence of the media and civil society.

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Border Management Authority commissioner Michael Masiapato has issued a stern warning to crime syndicates that they will be met with the full force of the law.

This follows border guards at Khosi Bay intercepting “three high value assets” suspected to be tied to transnational smuggling operations into neighbouring countries.

In one incident, authorities flagged a motorbike whose frame matched the description from an ongoing stolen vehicle case reported in Mayville, Johannesburg.

A black Senke frame was concealed inside a trailer. The suspect, believed to be headed for Malawi, was also allegedly found with seven mobile phones for which he could not produce proof of ownership.

He was detained under the Immigration Act and a case was registered at the Emanguzi Police Station.

Later that day, border guards intercepted a white Toyota Hilux driven by a Mozambican national on his way to Mozambique. Upon inspection, officials discovered that the vehicle’s VIN and engine numbers had been tampered with.

Further investigation confirmed the Hilux had been reported stolen in Lyttelton, Pretoria.

In a separate operation at approximately 5pm, a team of five BMA border guards recovered a black Toyota Corolla Cross at the border. The driver failed to produce valid documentation, and officials soon discovered that the vehicle bore a fraudulent licence disc and had altered identification numbers.

The car was traced back to a theft case in Durban North. The suspect was arrested and taken to the Emanguzi Police Station for further processing.

“Criminals attempting to exploit our ports for illicit activities will be met with swift and decisive enforcement. The BMA is closing the space for cross-border crime, and our border guards will continue to act with vigilance, professionalism and integrity,” said Masiapato.

He also emphasised the importance of public involvement in combatting transnational crimes, urging residents to report suspicious activities near the borders.

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Millions of South Africans remain without clean drinking water, and failing infrastructure threatens to deepen the crisis.

With municipalities struggling to provide reliable water services and criminal syndicates profiting from illegal water sales, the government has vowed to take immediate action.

Closing the 2025 National Water and Sanitation Indaba on Friday, Deputy President Paul Mashatile warned that if decisive action was not taken, South Africa would face a full-scale water disaster. 

“Water is life… It is not just a commodity, but a vital resource essential for the survival of our communities and households, for businesses to operate and for the economy to grow,” Mashatile said.

He reiterated that water security must be prioritised, as failure to protect the resource would hinder national development goals.

The two-day indaba in Midrand saw government leaders, municipal officials and industry experts deliberate on pressing water issues. 

It concluded with a high-level declaration presented by Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, who outlined key resolutions aimed at reversing the decline in water service delivery.

Mashatile, who chairs the Water Task Team, painted a stark picture of South Africa’s water crisis. 

He highlighted the findings of the latest Blue Drop Report, which reveal a steady deterioration of quality drinking water and infrastructure across the country. 

“One of the biggest difficulties in accessing quality drinkable water is the inadequate infrastructure for water reticulation and sanitation, resulting in the unreliable availability of clean water,” the deputy president said.

Currently, 19% of rural communities still do not have a reliable water supply, leaving them vulnerable to water shortages and unsafe drinking conditions. Additionally, 33% of the population continues to live without basic sanitation services, exacerbating public health risks and deepening social inequalities. 

The crisis extends to critical institutions. A total of 26% of schools and 45% of clinics are without access to clean water, which severely impacts education, healthcare and overall well-being.

“It should not be business as usual while rural communities suffer the most,” Mashatile declared.

“It is unacceptable that in 2025, after decades of democracy, nearly half of our clinics still struggle to provide basic water services.”

Mahlobo outlined a series of urgent measures aimed at addressing the catastrophe.

The government plans to accelerate key infrastructure projects, including Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the uMkhomazi Dam, while fast-tracking the establishment of the National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency. 

To address funding shortages, municipalities will receive support through the Water Partnerships Office, which will facilitate private sector investment in water infrastructure.

Stronger oversight will be enforced at local government level to curb corruption, mismanagement and non-payment of water services. 

Additionally, authorities will intensify efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates profiting from illegal water sales.

Legislative reforms, including a new licensing system under the Water Services Amendment Bill, will hold service providers accountable and revoke licences if quality standards are not met. 

To ensure financial sustainability, municipalities will be empowered to ring-fence water revenue for infrastructure improvements and crack down on illegal water connections.

And, through the Presidential Employment Stimulus, the government aims to boost employment by prioritising labour-intensive water infrastructure projects.

Mashatile stressed that municipalities needed to take their responsibilities seriously. 

“According to Section 154 of the Constitution, national and provincial governments must bolster the capabilities of municipalities in managing their affairs and carrying out their functions,” Mashatile said.

“It is, therefore, imperative that municipalities do not fail to implement their constitutional obligations, particularly as they pertain to the provision of water and sanitation.”

On corruption, Mashatile vowed that the government would go after those who exploited water shortages for financial gain. 

“Both the president and minister of water and sanitation have stressed the need to deal effectively with the criminal networks who manipulate water shortages for profit; tampering with infrastructure to sell water to desperate communities,” he said.

On the non-payment for water services, Mashatile reminded attendees that this placed an immense financial strain on municipalities. 

“The culture of non-payment must end,” he said. “Businesses and households that can afford to pay must do so. Without financial sustainability, our water system will collapse.”

He called for strengthened revenue collection mechanisms, reduced water wastage and improved financial accountability at municipal level.

Mashatile said the resolutions must be implemented “in full and with speed”.

“If we don’t implement them, we will not be able to achieve what we have set out to change. Without action, all our intended objectives will be in vain.”

He called on all stakeholders, including the government, private sector and civil society, to work together. 

“Water security is not just a government responsibility. It is a national priority that requires collaboration at all levels,” Mashatile concluded.

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Following three days of intense operations by Mine Rescue Services to save trapped illegal miners at an abandoned Stilfontein mine, it appears that all of them may have been saved and now the task turns to retrieving the bodies of those who died underground.

Since Monday, 246 miners have been rescued and 78 bodies retrieved from the North West mine.

The Gauteng forensic pathology service vans arrived in Stilfontein on Wednesday to help with the number of bodies retrieved.

The operation, one of the largest of its kind in recent years, has been marked by both heartbreak and hope.

Zinzi Tom, a sister of one of the miners, Ayanda, who is yet to be found, turned to the courts to speed up the rescue operations.

She said that seeing the pathology vans broke her spirit, adding that government ministers who visited the scene this week have shown no empathy.

“If you watch them closely, even how they address us, you can tell they do not care,” Tom said. 

Community volunteers, who have been part of the retrieval operations, reported on Wednesday night that there were no more miners who were alive underground. However, SAPS Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the police needed to verify this.

“We will rely on the Mine Rescue Services (MRS) to confirm this with their state-of-the-art equipment that will hopefully be able to give us a picture of what is happening underground,” Mathe said.

MRS will send a cage underground on Thursday to see if any miners resurface with the cage.

Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) spokesperson Magnificent Mndebele said on Wednesday night that many bodies were unaccounted for because they were either too far from where the cage was being sent to, or not retrievable.

“Some died in shaft 10 while climbing the litigators and some would have died while trying to move from shaft 10 to 11 where help was feasible either by rope or other means like this operation,” he said.

He also told Inside Politics that it was possible that there were still miners who were alive and were not close to the surface.

“But it is a scary line of inquiry and we are likely to never know. Zinzi’s brother was not retrieved at all. He is not from the dead nor is with those who are alive.”

Mathe said that of the bodies recovered, only two have been identified and claimed by families.

“What makes it quite difficult… is that [the deceased are] illegal immigrants that are undocumented. Those that are aware or know that their family members were part of this illicit mining operation are then advised to approach [the authorities],” she said.

Mathe said that before the operation commenced, authorities had urged the miners to voluntarily leave the shafts. However, reports of mistreatment and abuse surfaced, and that the miners were too weak to resurface by themselves.

“We are investigating those particular allegations that were brought forward to us, that there were some that were keeping food away from the illegal miners. That is some of the focus areas of our investigation unleashed by kingpins underground,” Mathe said.

The SAPS was probing claims that the syndicates exploited the miners and that they were “tortured, abused, and [had food] kept away” from them.

According to Mathe, the miners who resurfaced lacked clarity about their circumstances and origins.

Meanwhile the Democratic Alliance has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry into the tragic events at the Buffelsfontein mine. 

DA Mineral and Petroleum Resources spokesperson James Lorimer criticised the lack of effective government action to address illegal mining and urged for an impartial investigation to hold responsible parties accountable.

“The scale of this disaster matches the worst fears of many people and raises serious questions about how the situation was allowed to escalate so disastrously,” Lorimer said.

The DA criticised both the SAPS and the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources for their handling of illegal mining. Lorimer questioned whether the SAPS failed to assess the situation underground accurately or, worse, knowingly withheld critical information from the public.

The police have said their primary mandate was to seal off shafts so that the miners had no access to food and enforce the law. 

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The plight of illegal miners who are trapped underground in Stilfontein in the North West continues to worsen, with the death toll now standing at seven.

Two decomposed bodies were retrieved on Wednesday, and more are still feared underground.

A letter attached to one of the bodies reveals a grim reality of hunger, dehydration and illness.

The miners have pleaded for urgent intervention, emphasising the need for medical supplies and humanitarian aid.

“We are apologise (sic) to tell you about people who are dying in the mine. We have one person who is dead because of shortage of food, while some are lying down they have not responded. Please we need help, please take us out of this mine because the situation inside this mine is difficult,” it reads.

Since the recovery operation began, community volunteers have braved the psychological and physical challenges of bringing bodies to the surface.

They have requested additional ropes, saying that more equipment would speed up the process of retrieving the bodies and rescue those who are still alive, but are too weak to move.

In response to an interim court order, organisations such as the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) have stepped in to provide food and water for the miners.

Macua has delivered 26 boxes of mageu and 41 bottles of water.

However, the miners’ notes underscore the need for urgent medical attention for the sick and injured.

Despite the challenges, the Stilfontein community remains determined, with volunteers continuing their work.

The police reported that 26 miners resurfaced on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile in Mpumalanga, rescue operations are underway after approximately 150 illegal miners became trapped inside an abandoned mine in Sabie.

Six miners have been rescued, but three lives have been lost.

The crisis came to light when a security patrol encountered four men fleeing the area.

The men revealed that they were being forced to mine for gold under dangerous conditions, raising suspicions that a criminal syndicate is involved.

Law enforcement and emergency teams, including the SAPS, Emergency Medical Services and private security firms, have launched a coordinated effort to rescue those still inside.

Acting provincial police commissioner Zeph Mkhwanazi said the rescue operations were fraught with difficulties due to the unstable shaft.

“All relevant stakeholders, including search and rescue teams, are currently at the scene and visibility in the area has been increased to ensure the safety of the community,” he said.

Mkhwanazi assured the public that efforts are ongoing and called for community cooperation as authorities worked to resolve the situation.

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The police’s Vala Umgodi task teams in the North West have blocked the routes used to deliver food and water to illegal miners, with 225 of them, dehydrated and starving, having now resurfaced in the Orkney area where there are gold mines.

Operation Vala Umgodi, which was launched in December last year, is a multi-disciplinary South African police operation that aims to stop illegal mining and related crimes.

Thousands of people have been arrested since its inception, with the operation exposing a connection between illegal migration and the coercion of migrants in South African mines.

Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya commended the Vala Umgodi task teams over the weekend.

“These 225 illegal miners are part of others believed to be hundreds if not a thousand illegal miners who are stuck underground with no food, water and necessities because the Vala Umgodi teams led by the SAPS and SANDF are blocking routes used to deliver food and necessities to these illegal miners, he said in a statement.

Sibiya said Operation Vala Umgodi was yielding positive results across the country.

“We are closely monitoring the situation that is unfolding in the North West province, we are not backing down until all those illegal miners resurface and are arrested,” he said.

Since its launch, the operation was seen 13,691 suspects nabbed in seven provinces, which all have illegal mining hotspots.

Sibiya said that R5 million in cash and uncut diamonds worth R32 million have also been seized.

The majority of those arrested this weekend are South African, Mozambican, and Lesotho nationals.

Last week, 39 people were arrested near Kimberly for violating South African immigration laws.

Authorities hailed it as a success in combating illegal immigration and the exploitation of labour in unregistered mining operations.

The operation followed weeks of intelligence gathering.

The week before, six people were apprehended for illegal mining on the Free State Another raid earlier in the week, saw five people arrested in Limpopo and the police seizing large amounts of equipment used for extracting minerals and gemstones.

The police believe that powerful and well-organised groups are involved in the illegal mining. The operation forms part of the country’s greater efforts to stamp out extortion and get a grip on organised crime.

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