South African police arrest 1,000 illegal miners near Barberton

Johannesburg: South African police have announced the arrest of nearly 1,000 illegal immigrants working in unauthorized gold mines in the northeastern region of the country.

Police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli told AFP that the operation lasted throughout the week, targeting underground illegal mines near the town of Barberton in the Mpumalanga province. He said, "There are still many illegal miners underground, and as they come out, police are taking them into custody."

This area is located near the borders of Eswatini and Mozambique. The mine in question is called Sheba Mine, which is owned by Barberton Mines.

According to the company, "Earlier this year, when the mine was declared unsafe and dozens of workers were dismissed, both the employees and the local community protested. Now we have discovered what the actual issue was."