The arrests come just a few weeks after 33 suspects were apprehended for similar crimes in the province.
A total of 69 illegal miners, including undocumented foreign nationals, have recently been arrested in Limpopo as the South African Police Service (Saps) continues to clamp down on unlawful activities through the ongoing Operation Vala Umgodi.
The suspects, aged between 18 and 46, were nabbed at the weekend in the Sekhukhune, Vhembe, Mopani, and Capricorn districts.
65 undocumented foreign nationals
Saps regional spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said 65 of the suspects were undocumented foreign nationals.
“In Sekhukhune district, the police arrested 51 undocumented foreign nationals aged between 18 and 46 during an operation conducted at the Marble Hall policing area on Sunday, 13 April 2025,” Ledwaba said.
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Meanwhile, four suspects aged between 28 and 33 were arrested separately for illegal mining of sand on the same day after they failed to produce mining permits.
Ledwaba said police who were operating in Tlhaveni block D Village, Bevhula and Maluleke Village in the Saselemani policing area caught the suspects in the act of loading sand on trucks.
“During the arrests, the police confiscated the trucks and shovels,” he added.
The suspects are expected to appear before the local magistrate’s court soon.
33 arrested previously
These arrests come just a few weeks after Limpopo police nabbed 33 foreign nationals through Operation Vala Umgodi, which targets illegal mining activities and other associated crimes.
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Of the 33 suspects, 21 suspects, aged between 17 and 52, were arrested on 29 March for contravening the Immigration Act at a weighbridge in the Beitbridge policing area, while five illegal immigrants aged between 18 and 55 were nabbed in the Mopani and Capricorn districts.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Thakeng said arrests were made during daily operations conducted through patrols and stop-and-search activities at identified illegal mining sites across the province.
March arrests
In the month of March alone, Vala Umgodi operations led to the arrest of 1 733 suspects of different nationalities across the country.
Police confiscated 29 unlicensed firearms, 246 rounds of ammunition, 439 mining equipment known as pendukas and 57 vehicles – including sedans, bakkies, trucks, trailers and excavators.
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