As part of the crackdown on illegal mining and related crimes in the Northern Cape, multi-disciplinary teams from Operation Vala Umgodi arrested a man for possession of a suspected uncut diamond and eight others for contravening the Immigration Act in the Frances Baard and Namakwa districts.
AS PART of the crackdown on illegal mining and related crimes in the Northern Cape, multi-disciplinary teams from Operation Vala Umgodi arrested a man for possession of a suspected uncut diamond and eight others for contravening the Immigration Act in the Frances Baard and Namakwa districts.
Provincial police spokesperson Sergeant Merapelo Pilane said that on the evening of September 11, the Namakwa team received a tip-off about a vehicle transporting suspected illegal miners between Kleinzee and Koingnaas. Acting on this information, the team intercepted the vehicle along the R355 road.
During a search of the vehicle, the driver was found in illegal possession of an uncut diamond. He was arrested, charged and appeared in the Springbok Magistrate’s Court on September 12, where he was released on a warning.
Meanwhile, in the Frances Baard District, the team conducted disruptive operations in the Kenilworth area in Kimberley on September 12. They stopped and searched a group of eight men and discovered they were in the country illegally.
The men were arrested for contravening the Immigration Act and handed over to immigration officials. They are expected to appear in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court soon.
The nine arrests highlight the ongoing efforts of Operation Vala Umgodi to combat illegal mining and enforce immigration laws in the Northern Cape.
