494 illegal miners in court as 24 more emerge from hiding at Sheba Mine in Mpumalanga

Over 480 illegal miners appear in Barberton court

More than 480 people appeared in the Barberton Magistrates’ Court on Monday for charges related to illegal mining. Among them were four juveniles. Police arrested the group at Barberton Mine on Friday, 1 August 2025, during a joint operation with Sheba Mine. The arrests were part of Operation Vala Umgodi, a long-term effort to dismantle illegal mining syndicates in the area. The charges include trespassing, theft of gold-bearing material, and co…

494 illegal miners in court as 24 more emerge from hiding at Sheba Mine in Mpumalanga

Groups warn against heavy-handed raids in tackling illegal miners

Organisations urge government to avoid repeating deadly Stilfontein tactics while addressing illegal mining in Barberton.

Pan African detains 4,000 illegal miners annually

PAN African Resources has arrested about 4,000 illegal miners at its Mpumalanga underground operations in South Africa over the past year. This was after the gold producer confirmed it had detained 494 miners at its Sheba mine in Barberton. Pan African spokesman Hethen Hira was quoted by BusinessLive as saying the mountainous terrain and visible gold deposits from 140 years of mining made the area particularly vulnerable to illegal operations. A…

‘Set our husbands free’, Barberton community pleads for release of arrested 500 illegal miners - The Zambian Observer

‘Set our husbands free’, Barberton community pleads for release of arrested 500 illegal miners The community of Barberton in Mpumalanga is calling on authorities to release about 500 illegal miners arrested at Sheba Mine on Friday, saying their husbands were only trying to provide for their families. Many of the detained are believed to be […] The post ‘Set our husbands free’, Barberton community pleads for release of arrested 500 illegal miners…

Illegal miners forced out of Barberton gold mines amid crackdown - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.

The operation to remove illegal miners from Barberton Gold Mines in Mpumalanga is ongoing. Sheba Gold Mine and Pan African Resources say most illegal miners’ camps have been cleared. Pan African Resources spokesperson Hethen Hira says they are working to remove the illegal miners. More than 540 illegal miners have been arrested since Friday last week, and police say more arrests are expected. Food supply to the illegal miners has been cut to for…