Six suspected illegal miners were discovered shot dead on a mountain in Mashobote, near Ngodwana, Mpumalanga province on Saturday morning, in what authorities believe may be a violent clash between rival illegal mining operations. A local resident alerted police at 11am after spotting bos on the mountainside.
Members of Mpumalanga’s illicit mining team arrived to find six bos bearing gunshot wounds. Colonel Mavela Masondo, the provincial police spokesperson, confirmed that preliminary investigations point toward rivalry amongst illegal mining groups operating in the area. The exact circumstances remain under investigation.
Illegal mining plagues several South African provinces. Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West, and Limpopo have become hotspots for these dangerous underground operations, which often involve violence and criminal networks.
Lieutenant-General Apaphia Modise, Mpumalanga’s police commissioner, called the Ngodwana incident “gruesome” and deployed detectives to work around the clock. She appealed for anyone with information about suious activity in the area to come forward. The provincial police force continues to intensify Operation Vala Umgodi, a crackdown specifically targeting illegal mining activities across Mpumalanga. What will it take to stop this deadly trade?
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