JOHANNESBURG – South African police and military forces arrested 217 people, most of them undocumented foreign nationals, during a major operation targeting illegal miners at a gold mine shaft west of Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The joint operation involved police, soldiers and private security personnel, and forms part of Operation Prosper, a government initiative announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in February to combat illegal mining and gang violence in crime hotspots across the country.

More than 100 of those detained were undocumented migrants from Lesotho, according to police. Nationals from Mozambique and Zimbabwe, as well as South Africans, were also among those arrested. Security forces confiscated firearms and ammunition during the raid.

Operation Prosper deployed 2 200 soldiers to work alongside police after Ramaphosa identified organised crime as the “most immediate threat” to South Africa.

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Thousands of unregistered miners operate across South Africa, scavenging abandoned mine shafts for gold and other minerals in dangerous conditions. Many come from neighbouring countries, driven by poverty and unemployment.

The illegal mining sector has been linked to organised crime networks with global connections, as well as assassinations, extortion and other criminal activities.

The arrests come amid a broader crackdown on undocumented migrants in South Africa. Thousands have returned to their home countries in recent weeks following campaigns by local groups who claim foreign nationals are taking jobs from South Africans.

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