Five suspects, aged between 30 and 50, were arrested with gold bearing material, during Operation Vala Umgodi in Elukwatini, Mpumalanga, on Tuesday, 09 September 2025.
According to a report, members were conducting a disruptive operation when the team apprehended the suspects. The suspects were charged for possession of gold bearing material, whilst others were charged for contravention of the Immigration Act of South Africa as they did not have valid documentation to be in the country. Gold bearing material was also confiscated at the scene.
The suspects appeared before Albert Luthuli Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, and they were remanded in custody. The suspects will reappear before the same court on 15 September 2025.
Police Detectives are working collaboratively with officials from the Department of Home Affairs to ascertain the status of some of the arrested suspects.
