The joint Operation Vala uMgodi team, which includes the SAPS, South African National Defense Force (SANDF) and Department of Home Affairs, continues to deal with the element of human trafficking related to illicit mining in the Free State.
Members conducted foot and vehicle patrols, as well as stop-and-search operations. A roadblock was assembled on the N1 south near Ventersburg.
At the roadblock, 174 vehicles and 528 persons were searched. A number of 93 undocumented persons were arrested
“At the roadblock, 174 vehicles and 528 persons were searched. A number of 93 undocumented persons were arrested. Case dockets for contravention of the Immigration Act were opened. At Kopanang Mine, a private security company and bomb disposal and explosives experts seized 290 detonators,” says Lt. Col Thabo Covane of SAPS Corporate Communication and Liaison in the Free State.
