The South African Police Service (SAPS) has arrested 10 people suspected to have kidnapped and trafficked Basotho to illegal mining operations in Mpumalanga.
The 10 suspects were among 68 illegal miners, better known as zama zamas, who were arrested in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, at the weekend.
The arrests, which took place on Saturday morning, followed a report by a Mosotho man who alleged he had been kidnapped in Lesotho and taken to Nelspruit where he was forced to work in illegal mining operations run by the zama zamas.
The man reported his ordeal at Sabie Police Station in Nelspruit on an unspecified date last month, leading to Saturday's special operation by SAPS and other South African organisations.
The South African police have not released the identities of the kidnapers or their nationalities. However, the arrested suspects appeared in the Sabie Magistrates Court on Monday, where they were remanded in custody. They are due back in court on different dates for bail and possibly other charges.
The SAPS said in a statement released after the operation: "Police in the province are working tirelessly to fight illegal mining and as a result, 68 male suspects aged between 19 and 54, were arrested in connection with illegal mining activities. "Amongst them, two were nabbed for human-trafficking, while two others were charged for possession of unlicensed firearms with ammunition, and eight were nabbed for alleged kidnapping. The successes are part of Operation Shanela in the province, which was carried out at Sabie on 16 September 2023. All arrested suspects are facing charges in relation to contravention of the immigration act of South Africa.
"An operation was carried out after a victim from Lesotho came to Sabie Police Station last month to report a case of kidnapping."
According to the SAPS report, the operation was conducted by a team consisting of officers from the police's Provincial Organised Crime Unit, Sabie Vispol, Local Criminal Record Centre in Lydenburg, Lydenburg K-9 Unit, department of Home Affairs, department of Mineral Resources and Energy, personnel from Emergency Medical Services (EMS), as well as guards from Phoenix and Amandla security companies.
"When the team arrived at the site, they managed to arrest the alleged illegal miners and two firearms with ammunition were found amongst the suspects.
"The astute members also nabbed the eight that are suspected to have been behind the kidnapping of the Lesotho national. In fact, preliminary investigations by the police revealed that two of the suspects are allegedly involved in some dodgy dealings of trafficking people from Lesotho and using them for illegal mining in the Sabie area.
"The investigators are adamant that there could be more other criminal activities that these men might be involved in. However, a probe is underway whereby other stakeholders are positively assisting to ensure that the law take its course. The confiscated firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine whether they were not used previously in the commission of crime," the SAPS report further reads.
In the same statement, the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, expressed her gratitude for the operation.
"We are very much glad that not only was a huge number of suspects arrested, but two firearms were also discovered. The issue of illegal mining is a concern in our country and we are happy the public can see that the state, in conjunction with the private sector, are working hard to address the challenge, hence this success," said Lt-Gen Manamela.
According to an official with the South African National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Monica Nyuswa, who spoke to this publication on Tuesday, the suspects were slapped with several charges and remanded in custody.
"Kidnapping and human trafficking cases have been joined together and 33 additional charges added. The case was postponed to 4 October for a formal bail application," Ms Nyuswa said.
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"The charge of bribery was changed to corruption and it was postponed to 2 October for bail application. The cases of possession of firearms have been postponed to 27 September for bail application, while cases of illegal mining and contravening the Immigration Act have been postponed to different dates from 27 September to 4 October 2023. No suspects were released," Ms Nyuswa said.
Meanwhile, this latest development confirms the United States (US) 2023 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released in June this year, which noted Basotho were victims of forced labour in illegal mines in South Africa.
"Traffickers connected to organised crime syndicates operating in South Africa allegedly exploit Basotho men in derelict and ownerless gold mines. Some of these miners, known as zama zamas (hustlers) recruit young girls in Lesotho to exploit in sex-trafficking in South Africa. "Traffickers also compel Basotho to commit crimes in South Africa, including theft, drug-trafficking, and smuggling under threat of violence," part of the report indicated.
