The tight-knit community of Barberton, Mpumalanga, is urgently appealing to authorities for the release of around 500 illegal miners who were arrested at Sheba Mine last Friday. The miners’ families say their loved ones were simply trying to survive and provide for their households, not criminals.
Most of those detained are believed to be undocumented foreign nationals who turned to illegal mining out of desperation. Now, wives and relatives stand at the police station, heartbroken and helpless, facing an uncertain future without their primary breadwinners.
“These men are our husbands, our brothers. They are not criminals—they were just trying to put food on the table,” said one distraught woman. “We don’t have money for lawyers or bail. All we want is for them to come home.”
The arrests were part of the South African Police Service’s Operation Vala Umgodi, a high-profile crackdown on illegal mining activities. While the operation aims to curb crime, it has sparked debate over the balance between law enforcement and the socio-economic realities driving miners underground.
Adding to the complexity, 28 more miners emerged from underground shafts on Monday, highlighting the ongoing risks and scale of illegal mining in the region.
